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942.71019 
Sa213e 
1233549 


GENEALOGY  C 


ALLEN  COUNTY  PUBLIC  UBHARV 


3  1833  00727  6113 


Of  this  History  Two  Hundred  and  Fifty  Copies  only  have  been  Printed,  of 
WHICH  One  Hundred  are  for  Presentation. 


HISTORY    OF    SAND  BACH 


THE    TWO    CROSSES    IN    THE     MARKET    PLACE,    SANDBACH. 


\_Frontisfiii:cc.Z 


THE 


HISTORY 


OF    THE 


ANCIENT    PARISH 


SANDRACH 

Co.    CHESTER. 
INCLUDING 

THE     TWO     CHAPELRIES 

OF 

HOLMES    CHAPEL    AND    GOOSTREV 

jfiom  (J^riijinal  Erroriis. 

BY 

J.     P.    .EARWAKER,     M.A.,    F.S  A., 

Author  of    "East    Cheshire,''    Editor   of  the    "  Alanchcster    Court   Leet   Records, 

Honorary    Secretary    oj  the    Record    Society   of  Lancashire   and    Cheshire, 

&-r.,  c^c,  'j^c. 

FOR      PRIVATE      CIRCULATION 
1890. 


Printeii  hy 
The  Hansard  Publishing  Union,  Limited,  London  and  Rediull. 


1233549 


N 


-J 


Zo  tbe  nDcmor\>  of 

THE   LATE 

CHARLES     HILDITCH     RICKARDS,     Esq. 

A   JUSTICE   OF   THE   PEACE   FOR   THE   COUNTY   OF   LANCASTER 

AND    A    DErUTV-LIEUTENANT   OF    THE   SAME   COUNTY, 

FOR    MANY   YEARS   CHAIRMAN   OF   THE 

BOARD     OF     GUARDIANS     OF     MANCHESTER  ; 

THE    REPRESENTATIVE    OF   AN    OLD    YEOMAN    FAMILY 

LONG     RESIDENT     IN     BETCHTON,     IN     SANDBACH     PARISH, 

THIS    HISTORY,   UNDERTAKEN    AT   HIS   REQUEST, 

IS 

VERY    SINCERELY    DEDICATED 

BY 

THE   AUTHOR. 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS, 


HALF    TITLE 

TITLE 

DEDICATION 

TABLE   OF   CONTENTS      

LIST   OF    PLATES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS     . 
PREFACE       

SanJMiacb  Uownsbip 

(;ENERAL    HISTORY   OF   THE   TOWNSHIP  . 

Saxdbach  of  Sa.vdbach,   Pedigree 
THE   TO\YN    OF   SANDBACH     .... 

THE   CROSSES 

S.\NDBACH    DURING   THE    CIVIL   WAR,    etc. 
OLD    SANDBACH    FAMILIES     .... 

Steele  of  Sandbach,  Pedigree    . 

Welles  of  Sandbach,  Pedigree  . 
THE    CHURCH     

The  Chantries  and  Altars 

The  Old  Stained  Glass  and  Ancient  Monuments 

The  Modern  Stained  Glass. 

The  Bells 

Inscriptions  on  the  Com.munion  Pl.^te 

MOXIT.MENTAL    INSCRIPTIONS    IN    THE    ChURCH    AND    CHURCHYARD 

RECTORS  AND  VICARS  OF  SANDBACH 
THE  PARISH  REGISTERS 

Entries  in  other  Registers  relating  to  Sandi;.j 
THE   GRA^LMAB    SCHOOL         .... 
THE    CHARITIES  .         .  ... 

THE    MODERN   TOWN    OF   SANDBACH 

Principal  Inhawtants  in  Sandbach  in   1782 


Page     i. 


vii-ix. 

.\-xii. 

xiii-xiv 

1-93 

1-9 

5 

10-87 

11-15 

15-17 
17-23 


24-44 
28,  29 
29-31 
31-33 

jZ^  34 
34-44 
45-54 
54-75 
75-77  . 
77-80 
81-86 
86,  87 
87 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS— coiitiinted. 


SANDBACH    HEATH    CHURCH 
ELWORTH      ....■■ 
Haie.x  of  Ei.nvRT/i,  Pedigree 

Mbeelocli  Howiisbip 

IVheelock  of  JVheelock,  Pedigree 
Le^ersage  of   IVheelock,  Pedigree 

BicUb  ^ownsbip      .... 

MAi.yn-ARi.xG  OF  Arci.id,  CO.    Chester,  axd  Slepe,  co.  Salop,  Pedh 
Twemlow  of  Arclid,  CO.   Chester,  axd  Betley,  co.  Stafford,  Pedigree 

Hjassall  ^owusbip 

Hassall  of  Hassall  axd  Hakkeloh;  co.    Chester,  Pedigree 

Weld  of  Little  Hassall,  Pedigree 

LonxDES  of  Bostock  House,  ix  Hassall,  Pedigree 

JBra5\vaU  Uownsbip 

Vexables  of  Bradwall,  Pedigree      .... 
Beringtox  of  MooRSBARROir  AXD  Braduall,  Pedigree 
Oldfield  of  Bradivall,  Pedigree 
Jervis  of  Bradivall,  Pedigree    . 

LATIIA.tl,    OF    BrAPU'ALL,    PeDIGREE  . 

3Bctcbtoii  ^ovvnsbip 

FURXll'ALL    OF   BePCHTOX,     PeDIGREE 

THE    CHAPELRY    OF    HOLMES    CHAPEL 
fljolmes  Cbapcl  Uownsbip    • 

THE   CHURCH     

Thf.  Old  Mo.xumknis  .^xd  Stained  Gl.ass 

Thk  Communion'  Pi,.\te  .^nd  Bells 

The  Monument.al  Inscriptions  in  the  Church  .and  Churchv 

Incumbents  of  Hol.mes  Ch.\pel     .... 

The  Registers         .         .         .         .         . 

The  Churchw.ardens'  Accounts    .... 

The  Chariiies 

Cotton  Xtownsbip 

Cotton  of  Cotpox,  Pedigree        .... 
Cot  POX  of  Cotpox  (Seco.vd  Fa.mil  i').  Pedigree 

Cranaoe  tlownsbip 

Needham  of  Crax.^ge  {Viscouxp  KiL.voREy),  Pedigree 
Hakrisox  of  Craxage  Hall,  Pedigree 


Page 

s     87,  88 

S9-93 

90,  91 

94-108 

97 

102,  103 

108-113 

109 

no,  III 

114-125 

118,  119 

121 

122,  123 

126-146 

129 

131 

•  138,  139 

140 

•  142,  143 

•  147-153 

151 

■  154-225 

•  154-157 

.  15S-187 

.  159-161 

.  161,  162 

.  162-169 

.  169-176 

.  176-1S4 

•    •     185 

.  1S6,  1S7 

.  1S8-195 

.190,  191 

194 

•  196-225 

.  198-199 

202 

TABLE    OF    CONTEXTS— ^('«/'2««6W. 


THE    HERMITAGE 

WiNNINCTON  OF   THE   HERMITAGE,    PEDIGREE  .... 

WiNNINGTON  OF   THE    HERMITAGE   {SECOND   FaMILy),    PedIGREE    . 

Leadbeater  of  Holmes  Chapel,   the  Hermitage,  &•€.,  Pedigree 
Hall  of  the  Hermitage,  Pedigree    ...... 

Armitstead  of  Cranage,  the  Hermitage,  and  Sand  bach.  Pedigree 
Ameson  of  Cran.age,  Middlewich,  Holmes  Chapel,  &'c..  Pedigree 

THE    CHAPELRY    OF    GOOSTREY 
THE   CHURCH     

The  Communion  Plate  and  Bells 

The  Monumental  Inscriptions  in  the  Church  and  Churchyard 

Incumbents  of  Goostrey         .... 

The  Registers         ...... 

The  Churchwardens'  Accounts     . 

36ai-nsba\v=cum=(Boostrei7  Uownsbip   . 

Goostrey  and  Allied  Families,  Pedigree  of 

Blachben  Xlownsbip 

KixsEY  OF  Blackden,  Pedigree    . 
Eaton  of  Bl.ackden,  Pedigree     . 

XCwemlow  Uownsbip 

Knottesford  of  TivEMLOir,  Pedigree  . 
Booth  of  Twemlou;  Pedigree 

Xces  Uownsbip 

Amson  of  Lees,  Pedigree     .... 

BppenMj 

Notes  on  the  Family  of  Broome 
The  Broome  Family  of  Betchton 
Memoir  of  the  late  Mr.  C.  H.  Rickards   . 

a&&en5a  et  Corric}en&a 

3n&eE    


Pages  203-220 

20S,  209 

209 

213 

216,  217 

EE 

2 1 S,  219 

222,  223 

226-275 

226-25 ' 

229-230 

230-234 

234-^40 

240-247 

247-251 

251-255 

254 

256-260 

258-  259 

261 

263-272 

264 

269-271 

272-275 

274 

276-282 

276,  277 

277-2S0 

280-282 

283-286 

287-316 

LIST  OF  PLATES  and  ILLUSTRATIONS, 


WITH   THE   BLAZON   OF  THE   SHIELDS   OF   ARMS. 


THE    TWO    CROSSES    IN    THE    MARKET    PLACE,    SANDBACH        .         .  .      Frontispiece. 

Arms  of  Sandbach  of  Sandbach  ..........     Fage  i 

.■iziirt'  aft'ss  Cities  hchveoi  three  i^arbs  Or. 

Arms  of  Radcliffe  of  Ordsall,  Co.  Lang.  ........  i 

Argent  two  bcndlets  engrailed  Sable,  over  all  a  label  of  three  points. 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Sandbach  of  Sandbach  (as  befoie)       ......  5 

Arms,  Cre.sts,  and  Supporters  of  Lord  Crewe  of  Crkwe        .....  9 

Arms.  —  Quarterly  1st  and  4th  .4znre  a  lion  rampant  Arge»\  [Creue]  2nd  and  yd  Argen'  on  a  cross 
Jlory  .4ziire  a  lion  passa>it  gnardant  Or  [Offlcy].  Ckests.  —  Out  of  a  du  al  coronet  Or  a  lion's  gainh 
erect  Argent  [Crewe]  and  a  deinidion  rampant  gnardant  Or  holding  in  the  paws  an  olive  branch  vert 
fructed gold  [Offley].  Sliri'ORTERS. — Dexter  a  lion  rampant  Argent  collared  Azure,  thereon  three 
roses  Argent  :  sinister  a  grifln  .Sable  armed  Or  zvings  elevated  Argent. 


THE  OREAT  CROSS  AT  SANDBACH 
THE  SMALL  CROSS  AT  SANDB.ACH 
THE    CHURCH,   SANDBACH     . 


Arms  and  Crest  of  Leversage  of  Wheelock     ....... 

.Argent  a  chevron  between  three  ploughshares  erect  Sable.      Crest  a  leopard's  face,  jessant  a  Jleur-de-lys  0. 


To  face  p.  13 
To  face  p.  14 
To  face  p.  28 
29 


THE    OLD    HALL,    SANDBACH 


Arms  of  \\'iifj.;i.ock  of  Wheelogk 

Artyent  a  chevron  between  three  Catherine  wheels  Sable. 


To  face  p.  86 
94 


LIST    OF    PLATES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS— ro«//««£^.  xi 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Leversaue  of  Wheelock  {as  before)     ...■■■  Page  94 

Arms  of  Wheelock  of  Wheelock  {as  before) 97 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Leversage  of  Wheelock  {as  before)     .         .         .         ■         ■         •  102 

AR^^s  and  Crest  of  Mainwaring  of  Arclid  .         .         .         .         .  '      .         .         .  108 

Blazoned  on  p.  109. 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Twemlow  of  Arclid  ........  io8 

Blazoned  on  p.  no. 

Akms  and  Crest  of  Mainwaring  of  Arclid  {as  bejore)       ......  109 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Twemlow  of  Arclid  (as  before)  ......  ito 

Ar.ms  and  Crest  of  Hassall  of  Hassall  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  114 

Blazoned  on  p.  iiS. 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Weld  of  Litile  Hassall    ........  114 

Blazoned  on  p.  121. 


Arms  and  Crest  of  Lowndes  of  Bostock  House       .         .         .         .         .         .         .  114 

Blazoned  on  p.  122. 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Hassall  of  Hassall  {as  before)             ......  ii8 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Weld  of  Little  Hassall  {as  before)            .         .         .         .         .  121 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Lowndes  of  Bostock  House  {as  before)      .....  122 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Venables  of  Bradwall       ........  126 

Blazoned  on  p.  129. 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Oldfield  of  Bradwall        ........  126 

Blazoned  on  p.  1 38. 

Arms  and  Cre^t  of  L.^^tham  of  Bradwall 126 

Blazon:d  on  p.  142. 

Ar.ms  and  Crest  of  Ve.xables  of  Bradwall  {as  before)       ......  129 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Berington  of  Moorsbarrow  and  Bradwall      .         .         .         .  131 

Here  blazoned. 

EFFIGV   OF    PHILIP    OLDFIELD,  Esq.,  who   died   in    1616  ....   To  face  p.  132 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Oldfield  of  Bradwall  {as  before)       .         .         .         .         .         .  138 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Latham  of  Bradwall  {as  before)          ......  142 

Ar.ms  of  Fitton  of  Gawsworth             .....•■••■  i47 

//ere  blazoned. 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Davenport  of  Henbury i47 

//ere  blazoned. 


THE    TOWER    OF    HOLMES    CHAPEL    CHURCH         .  1 

OLD   CARVING    IX    THE   CHANCEL,   HOLMES    CHAPEL  i 


To  face  p.  158 


LIST   OF   PLATES   AND   ILLUSTRATIONS— co7ttmued. 


Arms  of  Cotton  of  Cotton  (First  Family)        ........  f't7g^t'  i88 

Biazoiu-J  Oil  p.  1 90. 

Arms  of  Cotton  of  Cotton  (Second  Family)     ........  188 

Blazoned  on  p.  1 94. 

Arms  of  Cotton  of  Cotton  (First  Family)  (as  before) 190 

Arms  of  Cotton  of  Cotton  (Second  Family)  {as  before) 194 

View  of  part  of  Cotton  Hall    ...........  195 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Needham  of  Cranage 196 

Blazoned  on  p.  198. 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Winnington  of  The  Hermitage         ......  196 

Blazoned  on  p.  20S. 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Armitstead  of  Cranage  and  The  Hermitage  .         .         .  196 

Blazoned  on  p.  21S. 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Needham  of  Cranage  {as  before) 198 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Winnington  of  The   Herjiitage  {as  before)        ....  208 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Hall  of  The  Hermitage  .         .         .         .         .         .         .  216 

Here  Mazened. 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Armitstead  of  Cranage  and  The   Hermitage  (as  before)  .  21S 

Arms  of  Kinsey  of  Blackden       ...........  258 

Here  blazoned. 

Arms  of  Eaton  of  Goostrey  and  Blackden 261 

Here  blazoned. 

Arms  of  Knottesford  of  Twemlow     ..........  264 

He?r  blazoned. 

Arms  and  Crest  of  Booth  of  Twemlow 269 

Here  blazoned. 

.Arms  and  Crest  of  Ameson  of  Lees 274 

Here  blazoned. 

Shield  of  Arms,  Sandbach  quartering  Radcliffe  2S3 

Here  blazoned. 


PREFACE 


\-\YL  ancient  parish  of  Sandbacii  in  the  county  palatine  of  Chester 
is  one  of  the  largest  parishes  in  that  county.  It  is  situated  in 
Northwich  Hundred,  on  the  southern  side  of  the  county  ;  the 
old  market  town  of  Sandbach  being  about  half  way  between 
Middlewich  and  Congleton.  It  contains  no  less  than  thirteen 
townships,  and  has  two  chapelries,  where  chapels  or  minor 
churches  were  erected  at  a  very  early  period  to  represent  the 
mother    church    in    the    outlying    parts    of  the  Parish. 

In  the  following  pages  the  history  of  each  of  these  townships  is  treated  in  detail, 
and,  as  far  as  possible,  exhaustively.  An  account  of  each  of  the  large  manors  and  its 
various  possessors  is  given,  accompanied  in  most  cases  by  full  pedigrees  of  the  chief  families 
in  each  township.  The  minor  gentry  and  the  various  old  Halls  in  the  parish  are  also  all 
duly  noticed.  In  the  history  of  the  mother  church  of  Sandbach  and  that  of  the  two 
chapels  of  Holmes  Chapel  and  Goostrcy,  an  account  will  be  found  of  what  has  been  recovered 
concerning  the  chantries  and  altars,  which  they  once  contained,  as  well  as  of  the  old  heraldic 
stained  glass,  which  once  adorned  their  windows.  Full  lists  of  the  clergy  of  each  of  these 
three  churches  will  be  found,  together  with  short  biographical  particulars  of  all  of  whom  any 
information  could  be  ascertained.  Special  attention  may  be  directed  to  the  series  of 
extracts  from  the  parish  registers  of  Sandbach,  commencing  in  1562.  These  extracts  are  most 
voluminous,  filling  twenty  quarto  pages,  and  giving  a  large  amount  of  most  valuable  infor- 
mation. Full  extracts  are  also  given  from  the  registers  of  Holmes  Chapel  and  Goostrcy, 
as  well  as  a  number  of  entries  from  the  Churchwardens'  Accounts  of  these  two  Chapelries. 

In  writing  this  History  abundant  use  has  been  made  of  the  "ORIGINAL  Records"  to 
be  found  in  the  Public  Record  Office,  London,  the  British  Museum,  London,  and  the  Bodleian 
Library,  Oxford.  Many  searches  have  also  been  made  at  the  Episcopal  Registry,  Chester, 
and  the  Probate  Registry  there,  and  much  information  has  also  been  obtained  from  various 
collections  of  deeds  and  papers,  which  have  been  most  kindly  placed  by  their  owners  at  my 
disposal.  In  connection  with  this  I  have  to  thank  Egertox  Leigh,  of  Twemlow  Hall,  Esq.  ; 
the  Rev.  J.  R.  Armitstead,  Sandbach  ;    Mr.  H.  A.  Remer,  Sandbach  ;  Mr.  15.  Ll.  Vawdrev 


xiv  PREFACE. 

(if  Tushinghain  Hall,  Cheshire  ;  Mrs.  TOLER  of  Saltersford  Hall,  Holmes  Chapel;  Mrs.  LUARD 
of  Aunsby,  co.  Lincoln  ;  and  Mrs.  ACKERS  of  Moreton  Hall,  Congleton,  who  by  the  loan  of 
documents   in   their   possession    have   placed    me   under   many   obligations. 

In  collecting  the  information  as  to  the  past  and  present  history  of  Sandbach  which  is 
contained  in  these  pages,  I  ha\-e  been  much  assisted  by  man\-  gentlemen,  whose  kindness  it 
gives  me  much  pleasure  to  acknowledge.  The  Rev.  J.  R.  Armit.STE.M),  Vicar  of  Sandbach, 
not  only  allowed  me  the  freest  possible  access  to  the  old  registers  in  his  possession,  but  also 
accompanied  me  in  many  visits  to  different  parts  of  his  extensive  parish,  and  in  various  other 
wa\'s  placed  his  local  knowledge  and  influence  most  freely  at  mj^  disposal.  His  brothers,  the 
Rev.  Svdnev  H.  Armitsteai),  Vicar  of  Sandbach  Heath,  and  the  Rev.  W.  G.  Armitstead, 
Vicar  of  Goostre}-,  have  also  aided  me  in  many  ways— the  latter,  more  particularly,  affording 
me  every  facility  for  examining  his  registers  and  churchwardens'  accounts.  The 
Rev.  H.  G.  B.\RX.A.CLE,  Vicar  of  Holmes  Chapel,  has  taken  much  interest  in  the  history 
of  that  neighbourhood,  and,  in  addition  to  placing  his  registers  at  m\-  disposal,  has  assisted 
me  in  e\"ery  wa\'  in  his  power.  I  am  also  indebted  to  the  Rev.  E.  G.  BROWNE,  B.D.,  Disney 
Professor  of  Archaeology  at  Cambridge,  for  information  connected  with  the  old  crosses  at 
Sandbach,  and  for  kindly  reading  over  and  revising  my  account  of  them. 

For  the  ILLUSTR.\TI0XS,  both  plates  and  shields  of  arms,  etc.,  I  am  indebted  to  the 
artistic  skill  of  m\-  wife,  and  every  care  has  been  taken  to  make  them  not  only  accurate  in 
detail,  but  also  as  artistic  as  possible. 

So  large  a  number  of  names,  both  of  persons  and  places,  occur  in  this  History,  that  the 
Inuex,  which  has  been  compiled  with  great  care  and  accurac}-,  fills  no  less  than  30  quarto 
pages,  and  will  afford  read}-  means  of  access  to  all  the  information  contained  in  the  book. 

It  now  onl\-  remains  to  add  that  the  limited  number  of  250  copies  of  this  book  have 
been  printed,  of  which  100  copies  are  reserved  for  private  distribution  amongst  the  friends  and 
acquaintances  of  the  late  Mr.  C.  H.  RiCK.-VRDS,  at  whose  suggestion,  and  partly  at  whose 
expense,  this  History  has  been  produced.  Mr.  Richards  took  a  great  interest  in  the  parish  of 
Sandbach,  to  which  he  was  attached  b}'  ties  of  kindred  and  old  association,  and  in  desiring  to 
have  a  complete  history  of  it  written  and  printed,  I  venture  to  hope  that  he  has  left  a  memorial 
which  will  be  more  enduring  than  an\-  other  which  he  could  have  selected. 


J.    P.    EARWAKER. 


Pensakx,  Ar.ERGELE,  N.  Wales, 
Marcli,  iSgo. 


THE 


PARISH  OF  SANDBACH, 

COXTAIMNG 

the  thirteen    townshh's   of 
Sandbach,  Cotton, 

Arclid,  Cranage, 

Bradwall,  Goostrey    and     Barnshaw, 

Wheelock,  Twemlow, 

Hassall,  Blackden, 

Betchton,  Lees    or    Leighs, 

Holmes    Chapel,  or   Church    Hulme, 

AND   IXCLUDIXG 

THE    Two     ChAPELRIES 
01'' 

Holmes    Chapel  and   Goostrey. 


^aiiJiliarl)  nf  s-nitabnrl). 


tlalrdifrr  o(  ciJrlfsall. 


SANDBACH. 


^antibar!)  CoUJUsii)ip, 


AXDBACII    is   twice   referred  to   in   tlic  Domesday  Survey  tal<en  about 
ioS6,  as  follows,  in  both  cases  under  "  Middlewich  Hundred  ": — 


Isdem  Bigot  tenet  San- 
liECD.  Dunning  tenuit  et 
liber  [homoj  fuit.  Ibi  i 
hida  geldabilis  et  una 
virgata  et  dimidia  similiter 
geldabilis.  Terra  est  ii 
carucata;.  Ibi  est  unus 
francigena  cum  dimidia  carucata  et  iii  servis  et  ii 
villani  cum  dimidia  carucata.  Ibi  presbyter  et 
ccclesia.  Silva  dimidia  leuva  longa  et  xl  perticis 
lata.  Tempore  regis  Edwardi  valebat  iiii  solidos. 
Modo  viii  solidos. 


The  same  Bigot  holds  Saneecd.  Dunning  held 
it  and  was  a  free  man.  There  is  i  hide  rateable 
to  the  gelt-tax,  and  a  virgate  and  half  similarly 
rateable.  The  land  is  2  carucates.  There  is  a 
foreigner  with  half  a  carucate  and  3  serfs,  and  there 
are  2  villeins  with  half  a  carucate.  There  is  a 
priest  and  a  church.  [There  is  also]  a  wood  half 
a  league  [4^  miles]  long  and  40  perches  broad. 
In  the  time  of  King  Edward  [the  Confessor]  it 
was  worth  4  shillings,  now  S  shillings. 


The  other  entry  comes  earlier  in  the  volume,  thus  :- 


Ipse  comes  tenet  Sanbec  de  ii  virgatis  et  dimidia 
geldabilibus. 


The  Earl  [of  Chester]  himself  holds  Sanbec  for 
virgates  and  a  half,  rateable  to  the  gelt-tax. 


The  above  description  supplies  an  interesting  account  of  Sandbach  at  that  carl}-  period. 
Who  the  "foreigner"  was,  \\\\o  had  three  serfs,  does  not  aj^pcar,  but  it  is  worthy  of  note 
that  a  church  and  priest  were  then  there,  and  that  the  greater  part  of  the  land  was  held  by 
Bigot,  \\hose  numerous  manors  in  various  parts  of  the  county  subsequently  formed  the  im- 
portant fee  of  Aldford,  of  which  Sandbach  is  always  described  as  forming  part. 

Early  in  the  thirteenth  century,  a  family,  the  members  of  which  bore  the  local  name  of 
Sondbach  or  Sandbach,  is  met  with.  They  are  found  holding  lands  here  as  lords  of  the  manor, 
and  occupying  a  good  position  in  the  count}'.  Their  names  occur  as  witnesses  to  most  of  the 
im])ortant  deeds  relating  to  this  district,  but  of  themselves  personally  not  much  is  now  known." 
The  earliest  member  of  this  family  was  RICHARD  DE  S.\NDI!AC1I,  who,  in  1224,  set  up  a 
claim  to  the  advowson  of  Sandbach  church,  as  is  more  full}'  narrated  in  the  account  of  that 
building.  He  was  High  Sheriff  of  Cheshire  in  1230,  and  is  met  with  again  in  1233.  He  was 
succeeded  apparently  by  his  son  or  grandson,  Roger  de  Sandbach,''  who  occurs  in  1244. 
Ill  1253,  he  claimed  the  advowson  of  the  church,  but  in  1256,  he  acknowledged  it  to  belong 
to  the  Abbey  of  Diculacres,  near  Leek,  in  the  count}'  of  Stafford.  He  was  succeeded  by  his 
son,  Sir  Richard  de  Sandbach,  Kxt.,  who  in  1280  confirmed  his  father's  acknowledgment 

"  The  prubabilily  is,  tli.Tt  llie  old  decils  relating  to  ihe  Saiulbachs  jiassed  into  the  possession  of  the  RailclifTes,  of  Ordsall, 
CO.  Lancaster,  who  became  the  owners  of  the  manor  of  .Sandbach  in  the  fourteenth  century,  and  are  now  lost.  They  are  not 
copied  into  any  collection  of  Cheshire  deeds  which  I  have  seen. 

'■  The  old  Cheshire  pedigrees  give  John  ue  Sandbach  as  son  and  heir  of  Richard,  and  father  of  Roger,  but  I  have,  so  far, 
failed  to  meet  with  his  name  in  any  died. 


SANDBACH    TOWNSHIP. 


of  the  church  to  the  said  Abbey.  By  a  deed  without  date,  William,  lord  of  Brcrcton, 
granted  to  him  the  half  of  the  vill  of  Sproston  in  Middlcwich  parish,  to  be  held  to  him  and 
his  heirs  for  ever,  as  the  sixth  part  of  a  knight's  fee,  by  the  rent  of  three  pair  of  spurs, 
or  3d.  per  annum.  To  this  deed  Sir  William  de  Venables,  Sir  Richard  de  Holt,  Knts., 
William  de  Venables,  and  John  de  Sandbach,  and  others  were  witnesses.''  He  is  met  with 
in  1287,  1295,  and  1305,  but  died  in  1307,  in  which  year  it  was  returned  on  an  Inquisition 
post  viortaii  that  he  had  died  seised  of  the  manor  of  Sandbach,  and  that  TllOM.XS  DK 
S.\NDBACH,  his  nephew,  was  his  next  heir.     Of  this  Thomas  little  is  known. 

He  was  succeeded  by  his  son  and  heir,  RlCH.^RD  DE  S.\XDBACH,  who  in  1307,  at  the  time 
of  his  great-uncle's  death,  was  under  age.  By  a  deed  dated  2  Edward  II.  [1309],  Sir  John  dc 
Arderne,  Knt.,  lord  of  Aldford,  granted  to  Sir  Hugh  de  Venables,  Knt,  the  wardship  and 
marriage  of  Richard,  son  of  Thomas  de  Sandbach,  the  heir  of  Sir  Richard  de  Sandbach,  Knt., 
w  ith  all  his  lands,  &c. ;  and,  in  case  he  should  die  young,  he  granted  to  the  said  Hugh  the 
wardship  and  marriage  of  Thomas,  the  younger  brother  of  the  said  Richard.  Richard 
was  living  in  1320''  and  1337,  and  had  an  only  daughter  and  heiress,  Elizabeth,  who  at 
this  latter  date  was  already  married  to  John,  son  of  John  de  Lcgh,  of  Booths,  co.  Chester. 
\n  that  )'ear  the  following  fine  was  levied  : — 

This  is  the  fine  made  in  the  Court  of  Chester,  the  Tuesday  next  after  the  feast  of  S*  Michael 
[29th  Sept.]  II  Edward  3  [1337]  before  Henry  de  Ferrar,  Justiciary  of  Chester,  John  de  Arderne,  Peter 
de  Thorneton,  William  de  Boydell,  William  de  Brereton,  knights,  John  de  Wetenhall,  William  de  Praers, 
John  de  Wrenbury,  and  Robert  de  Winnington,  between  Richard  de  Sotuibach  querent  and  William  de 
Clorton,  deforceant,  concerning  the  manor  of  Sondbach  and  the  half  of  the  manor  of  Sproston.  This 
manor  and  half  manor,  together  with  the  homage  and  service  of  Thomas,  son  of  Thomas  de  Sondbach, 
Richard  Raven,  William  Davy,  and  Richard  de  Budenhall  and  their  heirs,  of  all  the  tenements  which 
they  held  in  the  said  manor  and  half  manor,  were  setUed  on  the  said  Richard  de  Sondbach  and  the 
heirs  male  of  his  body,  with  remainder  to  John,  son  of  John  de  Legh,  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife,  and 
their  heirs,  with  remainder  to  the  right  heirs  of  the  said  Richard  de  Sondbach  for  ever.  And  this 
fine  was  made  in  the  presence  of  the  said  Thomas  de  Sondbach,  Richard  Raven,  William  de  Budenhall, 
and  Richard  de  Budenhall,  and  they  agreed  to  the  same  and  did  their  fealty  to  the  said  Richard  de 
Sondbach  in  the  full  Court  of  Chester. 

Although  the  main  line  of  the  Sandbach  family  became  extinct  by  the  failure  of  male 
issue  to  the  above-named  Richard  dc  Sandbach,  it  is  most  probable  that  the  descendants 
of  the  younger  members  of  that  family  continued  to  reside  at  Sandbach  and  the  neighbour- 
hood. Their  names  are  occasionally  met  with  in  deeds  and  records,  but  all  traces  of  the 
connecting  links  will  probably  now  be  sought  for  in  vain.  As  mentioned  above,  Thomas, 
son  of  Thomas  de  Sandhac/i,  \va.s  living  there  in  1337,  and  in  the  accompan}'ing  pedigree  the 
descendants  of  this  Thomas  (the  father)  are  traced  for  two  generations,  till  that  line  ended 
in  co-heiresses.^  In  the  next  century,  a  Hugh  de  Sandbach  occurs  in  1417  and  1439,  Richard 
de  Sandbach  in  1424,  and  lands  at  Willaston  in  the  tenure  of  Richard  de  Sandbach  arc 
mentioned  in  1437.'      William  dc  Sandbach  occurs  in  1443,  and  Randle  dc  Sandbach  in  1448. 

■=  In  Ihe  seventeenth  century  this  charter  was  in  the  custody  of  Sir  Alexander  Radcliffe,  Knt. ,  at  Orc'sall,  and  was  given 
to  James  Trevett,  of  Sproston,  Esq. 

''  Cheshire  Plea  Rolls,  Public  Record  Office. 

'  This  line  of  descent  occurs  in  Harl.  MS,  2040,  f.  19S'',  and  is,  probably,  like  the  rest  of  the  pedigree,  based  on  deeds. 

'  Cheshire  Recogniz.ance  Rolls, 

P    2 


SANDBACH. 


In  1540,  in  an  inquir\-  as  to  a  right  of  way  in  Somcrfoal,  one  of  the  jun'  wa^  Jo/i/i  Sandbaclt. 
Coming  down  to  a  later  period,  the  name  of  Sandbacli  docs  not  occur  in  the  Sandbach 
Registers,  although  it  is  to  be  found  in  those  of  Tarporlc\-,  Great  Budworth,  S:c.,  in  the 
seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries. 

John  DE  LE(_;h,  who,  in  the  right  of  his  wife  Elizabeth,  succeeded  to  tlie  manor  of 
Sandbach  on  the  death  of  his  father-in-law,  Richard  de  Sandbach,  had  an  only  daughter  and 
heiress,  Matilda  dc  Lcgli,  who  married  Richard  de  Radcliffe,  the  son  and  heir  of  Sir  John  de 
Radcliffe,  of  Ordsall,  near  ^lanchester,  knt.'-'  RlCllAKD  DK  Radclifi-E,  of  Ordsall,  Esquire, 
succeeded  his  father  in  135S,  but  died  on  the  19th  Jul)-,  1380,  being  drowned  in  Rossendale, 
according  to  tradition.  His  Inquisition /('i'/  iiiortctn,  which  was  taken  at  Chester  in  Sept.  1380, 
does  not,  howe\"er,  mention  Sandbach,  but  is  of  interest,  as  showing  how  he  held  the  half  of  the 
manor  of  ]\Iobberlc}-  in  right  of  his  wife.  His  son  and  heir,  John  de  Radcliffe,  afterwards 
Sir  Joiix  \)V.  Radcliffe,  Kxt.,  was  then  twenty-four  years  of  age.  He  married  Margaret, 
daughter  of  Sir  Henry  de  Trafford,  of  Trafford,  knt.,  by  whom  he  had  a  family  of  four  sons 
and  two  daughters.  He  died  on  8th  August,  1422,  and  the  following  is  an  abstract  of  his 
Inquisition /('jiY  moriciu,  as  far  as  relates  to  Sandbach: — 

Inquisition  taken  at  Christleton  before  Jolin  AVeten[h]ale,  of  Xauntwyche,  Escheator,  the  Thursday 
next  after  the  feast  of  S'.  Laurence,  the  Martyr,  [Aug.  10]  10  Henry  V.  [1422]  by  the  oath  of  Richard  de 
Morton  of  Torpurlegh  and  others,  who  say  that  John  de  Radclyf,  of  Urdesale,  chevalier,  was  seised  in  his 
demesne  as  of  fee,  after  the  marriage  had  between  himself  and  Margaret  his  wife,  of  messuages  lands  &c. 
in  Mobberley,  which  had  been  settled  on  his  sons  Alured  de  Radcliffe,  Edmund  de  Radcliffe,  and  Peter 
de  Radcliffe.  And  the  jury  further  say  that  Randle  del  Ford,  late  Vicar  of  Sandbach,  was  lately  seised 
in  his  demesne,  as  of  fee,  of  the  manor  of  Sandbach  and  the  half  of  the  manor  of  Sproston  and  he,  by  his 
charter,  granted  the  same  to  the  said  John  de  Radclyf,  of  Urdesale,  chevalier,  and  Margaret,  his  wife,  and 
their  heirs  and,  in  default  of  such  fssue,  to  the  right  heirs  of  Elizabeth,  daughter  and  heir  of  Richard  de 
Sandbach,  for  ever  and  the  said  John  died  so  seised.  And  the  said  manor  of  Sandbach  is  held  of 
Thomas  de  Stanley  and  Matilda,  his  wife,  in  right  of  the  said  Matilda  as  of  their  manor  of  Aldford,  but 
by  what  service  the  Jury  are  ignorant  and  it  is  worth  per  annum  £,22.  And  the  half  of  the  manor 
of  Sproston  is  held  of  Sir  William  Brereton,  chevalier,  but  by  what  service  the  Jury  are  ignorant  and 
it  is  worth  per  annum  10  marks.  The  said  Sir  John  de  Radcliffe  died  on  the  Tuesday  next  after 
the  feast  of  the  Ajjostles  Peter  and  Paul  [June  20]  last  past  and  John,  his  son,  is  his  next  heir  and  is 
aged  44  years  at  the  date  of  this  Inquisition.  And  the  Jury  further  say  that  the  said  Margaret,  Alured,'' 
Edmund'  and  Peter i  de  Radcliffe  are  still  alive, 

Margaret,  the  widow  of  Sir  John  de  Radcliffe,  knt.,  married  for  her  second  husband  Robert 
de  Orrell,  of  Turton,  near  Bolton,  co.  Lane,  and  by  a  deed  dated  in  the  third  week  of  Lent, 

E  In  the  Visilallon  of  Cheshire,  1580,  printed  by  the  Ilaiieuin  Society,  p.  144,  there  is  the  following  statement  (from 
Harl.  MS.,  1434,  f.  S6),  which  shows  how  much  confusion  had  arisen  about  these  descents.  "  S' John  Lee  of  Bouthes  and 
Isabell  daughter  and  heire  to  S'  Tiers  Sandbach  had  issue  John  Legh,  James  Legh,  William  and  John  &c.  Then  John,  sonne 
and  heire  of  S'  John  and  Dame  Isabell,  married  Maude  daughter  and  heire  to  S' John  Arderne  and  had  by  her  Maud,  daughter 
and  heire,  married  to  Richard  Radclifle  of  Wordsall  "  ..Vc.  In  the  Visitatioti  of  Lancashire,  in  1567,  printed  by  the  Chetham 
Society,  vol.  Ixxxi,  p.  i  (from  Harl.  MS.  2,oS6),  the  descents  are  given  quite  correctly,  and  the  shield  of  arms  at  the  head  of 
the  pedigree  is  Radcliffe,  quartering  Legh,  Arderne  and  Sandbach. 

I"  Alured  de  Kaddiffe  died  on  the  4th  April,  1462,  and  his  Inquisition  post  mortem  was  taken  at  Chester  in  June,  1462. 
Edmund  de  Radcliffe  died  15th  Oct.,  1446,  and  his  Inq. /.  /;/.  was  taken  at  Knottesford,  5th  Nov.,  1446.     He  left  a 
son  and  heir,  Edmund,  then  eighteen  years  of  age  ;  but  liis  lands  in  Mobberley  reverted  to  Alexander  de  RadclitVe,  the  son  and 
heir  of  Sir  John  de  Radcliffe,  knt.,  the  elder  brother  of  Edmund,  the  father. 

J  Peter  de  Radcliffe  died  in  Nov.,  146S,  seised  of  lands  in  Mobberley.  His  Inq.  /.  m.  was  taken  at  Chester  in  that  month 
and  year. 


SANDBACH   TOWNSHIP, 


'"  "O  t3 
ZJ    QJ    Qj 


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II- — 


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Ih— <^ 


SANDBACH. 


1423,  John  Norreys,  Esq.,  and  Robert  Halsted,  clerk,  who  were  seised,  as  feofees  in  trust,  of  the 
manor  of  Sandbach  and  the  half  of  the  manor  of  Sproston,  granted  them  to  the  said  Margaret 
and  Robert  dc  Orrell,  her  husband,  for  her  life,  and  she  retained  them  till  her  death  in  August, 
1434,  when,  as  shown  by  her  Inquisition  post  mortem  taken  in  that  j'ear,  they  reverted  to  her 
son  and  heir,  John  de  Radcliffe,  who  was  then  a  knight  and  about  fifty  years  of  age  or  more. 
The  manor  of  Sandbach  was  then  held  of  Thomas  de  Stanley,  Esq.,  as  of  his  manor  of 
Aldford,  and  it  is  stated  that  there  were  "  in  the  same  manor  i  hall,  2  chambers,  i  chapel,  i 
stable,  and  I  kitchen — [that  is,  in  the  manor-house  belonging  to  the  said  manor],  and  48 
messuages,  500  acres  of  land  and  40  acres  of  meadow  of  the  yearly  value  of  39  marks,  40 
acres  of  wood,  100  acres  of  moss  of  the  }-carl)-  value  of  20s.,  3  ponds  of  the  yearly  value  of 
3s.,  I  water-mill  of  the  }-earI}-  value  of  4  marks  and  13s.  lod.  rent,  and  that  the  whole  of  the 
manor  was  of  the  yearly  value  of  ^^30.  los.  2d."'^ 

Sir  Joiix  de  Rahclifi-e,  of  Ordsall,  knt.,  who  thus  succeeded  to  the  Sandbach  estates 
on  the  death  of  his  mother  in  1434,  married  Clemence,  the  daughter  of  Hugh  Standish  of 
Duxbury,  co.  Lane,  Esquire  (the  marriage-settlement  being  dated  13th  March,  1396),  by  whom 
he  had  issue.  He  died  on  the  26th  July,  1442,  and  from  his  Inquisition /^w/  mortem  it  appears 
that  his  son  and  heir,  ALEXANDER  RADCLIFFE,  was  then  of  the  age  of  forty  years  or  more.  The 
latter,  who  married  Agnes,  daughter  and  heir  of  Sir  William  Harrington,  of  Hornby  Castle, 
CO.  Lane,  K.G.,  died  in  June,  1476.  His  Inquisition  post  iiiortcin,  which  was  taken  at  Chester 
in  that  month  and  year,  states  that  he  died  seised  of  the  manor  of  Sandbach,  held  of  Sir  John 
Stanle)',  knt.,  as  of  his  manor  of  Aldford,  and  of  lands  in  IMobbcrle)-,  and  that  \VlLLL\M 
Radcliffe,  his  son  and  heir,  was  then  aged  forty  years  and  more.  The  latter  married  Jane, 
daughter  of  Sir  Edmund  Trafford,  of  Trafford,  knt,  and  died  in  May,  1498,  seised  of  lands 
in  Mobberley,  and  half  of  the  manor  of  Sandbach,  held  of  John  Stanley,  Esq.,  as  of  his 
manor  of  Aldford,  and  leaving  Alexander  Radcliffe,  his  grandson  (son  of  his  son  and 
heir-apparent,  Jolni  Radcliffe,  who  died  in  1497),  his  next  heir,  and  then  twenty-one  years 
of  age. 

Sir  Alexander  Radcliffe,  of  Ordsall,  knt,,  as  he  afterwards  became,  was  appointed 
on  30th  November,  1539,  High  Sheriff  of  Cheshire  during  pleasure,  and  he  was  also  High  Sheriff 
f)f  Lancashire  in  1 547.  He  married  Alice,  daughter  of  Sir  John  Booth,  of  Barton,  co.  Lane, 
knt.,  b\'  whom  he  had  four  sons  and  three  daughters.  He  died  in  1548,  at  the  age  of  sevent}-- 
two,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  and  heir,  SiR  WILLIAM  Radcliffe,  of  Ordsall,  knt.,  who 
was  then  forty-six  }-cars  of  age.  The  latter  married  for  his  first  wife  Margaret,  daughter  of 
Sir  Edmund  Trafford,  of  Trafford,  knt,  by  whom  he  had  issue  ;  and,  secondl}',  Anne,  daughter, 
of  Ralph  Catterall,  Esq.,  and  the  widow  of  Sir  John  Townlc\',  of  Townlc}-,  knt.'  He  died 
on  the  1 2th  Oct.  1568,  and  was  buried  in  the  Collegiate  Church,  Manchester,  but  his  heart  was 
deposited  in  an  urn  in  Sandbach  Church,  as  stated  on  a  monument  erected  to  his  memory  in 
Manchester  Church,  which  bore  these  lines  : — 

Sandbach  cor  retinet,  servat  Mancestria  corpus 
Crelestem  nientem  regna  supcrna  tenent.'" 

'^  Cheshire  Recognizance  Rolls,  Public  Record  Office,  London. 

'  ller  will,  dated  1st  Oct.,  1 55 1,  does  not  appear  to  have  been  proved  till  6th  Sept.,  1565.  It  is  not  now  at  Chester,  but 
a  short  abstract  of  its  contents  has  been  printed  in  Laiuashire  and  Cheshire  Wills,  Cheth.  Soc,  N.S.  vol.  iij.  p.  226.  The 
inventory  of  her  goods,  taken  aSth  Dec,  1551,  a|)pears  on  p.  17  of  the  same  volume. 

'"  .Sandbach  retains  hi.s  heart,  Manchester  his  corpse  preserves,  and  the  realms  above  hold  his  heavenly  mind. 


SANDBACH   TOWNSHIP. 


In  the  Sandbach  Register  the  entry  of  the  burial  of  his  heart  is  thus  entered  in  the  year 

1568:— 

Cor  Wittmi  Radcliffc  militis  sepultum  xxj"  die  Octobris. 

His  eldest  son  and  heir-apparent,  Alexander  Radcliffe,  Esquire,  having  died  a  few  days  before 
his  father,  on  the  26th  Sept.  156S,  without  issue,  he  was  succeeded  by  his  second  son,  SiR 
John  Radcliffe,  of  Ordsall,  knt.,"  who  married  Anne,  daughter  and  heir  of  Thomas  Ashall, 
of  the  Hall  on  the  Hill,  co.  Lane,  Esquire.  He  was  buried  at  Manchester,  nth  Feb. 
1589-90,  but  his  widow  survived  him  for  many  years,  being  buried  there  14th  Jan.  1629-30, 
aged  eighty-two  (.-"eightj'-seven).  His  will  (not  dated)  was  proved  at  Chester  in  1590."  He 
desired  to  be  buried  "  in  the  chancel  of  the  church  of  Manchester,  betwixt  the  Quire  Door  and 
the  steps,  amongst  my  ancestors,  being  the  burial  [place]  of  the  inheritance  of  this  house,  they 
of  the  church  having  the  disposition  of  the  cloth  of  the  hearse,  after  the  same  hath  continued 
over  the  dead  corpse  by  the  space  of  one  whole  year."  He  mentions  his  lands  in  the  counties 
of  Lincoln,  Derby,  and  Nottingham,  and  in  the  parish  of  Rochdale,  and  left  specific  instructions 
as  to  how  he  would  like  his  younger  sons  to  be  educated.  The  goods,  oxen,  kine,  household 
effects,  &c.,  specified  in  his  inventory  were  valued  at  £\,,\68.  8s.  8d. — a  large  sum  in  those  days. 
He  was  succeeded  by  his  eldest  son,  SiR  ALEXANDER  R.VDCLIFFE,  of  Ordsall,  knt.,  who  was 
baptized  at  the  Collegiate  Church,  Manchester,  26th  Jan.  1573-4.  He  was  knighted  at  the 
taking  of  Cadiz,  in  Spain,  in  1596,  but  was  slain  in  Ireland  31st  Aug.  15991"  at  the  battle  of 
Cunlew  Hills.  As  he  was  unmarried,  he  was  succeeded  by  his  brother,''  SiR  JOHN  RADCLIFFE, 
of  Ordsall,  knt.,  who  was  baptized  at  the  Collegiate  Church,  Manchester,  24th  Feb.  1581-2. 
Sir  John,  who  married  Alice,  daughter  of  Sir  John  Byron,  of  Newstead,  co.  Nottingham,  knt.,  by 
whom  he  had  issue,  was  slain  at  the  Isle  of  Rhee,  29th  Oct.  1627.  As  is  stated  in  an  old 
pedigree, "  he  was  knighted  in  Ireland  in  y"  wars  (shortly  after  Sir  Alexander  his  brothers  death) 
being  about  18  years  of  age  and  was  thereby  freed  from  wardship  of  his  bodie  by  y'^  lawc  ;  w'^' 
valiant  and  generally  well  beloved  gent  was  slaine  fighting  against  y'=  French  in  the  Isle  of 
Rhee,  29th  Oct.  1627,  being  then  Lieutenant  Colonell." 

Sir  John  Radcliffe  was  the  last  of  this  famil)',  who  held  the  manor  of  Sandbach,  for  he 
parted  with  it  in  1611,  after  it  had  been  in  his  family  for  about  250  years.  By  a  deed  dated  ist 
July,  1611,  he  mortgaged  the  manor  or  lordship  of  Sandbach  to  John  Weld,  of  the  Middle 
Temple,  London,  Esq.,  for  the  sum  of  ^2,200,  and  later  on  in  that  year,  by  a  deed  dated  7th  Nov. 
1611,  made  between  him  and  Richard  Steele,  Hugh  Moss,  John  Wright,  and  William  Shaw,  the 
younger,  all  of  Sandbach,  yeomen,  he  agreed  to  sell  to  them  and  to  other  persons  named  in  a 
schedule  to  the  said  deed  annexed,  all  the  messuages  and  lands  then  held  by  the  said 
several  persons  for  the  sum  of  ,^3,038.  And  for  the  better  convej'ance  of  these  messuages,  &c. 
it  was  agreed  that,  as  they  formed  part  of  the  manor  of  Sandbach,  the  said  manor  should  be 
conveyed  by  the  said  John  Weld  to  Thomas  Dalton,  Esquire,  Richard  Warren,  gent.,  Wilh'am 
Lingard,  clerk,  and  William  Raven,  gent.,  as  trustees,  who  could  convey  the  said  messuages,  &c., 
to  the  several  purchasers,  and  the  remainder  of  the  messuages,  lands,  &c.,  to  the  said  Sir  John 

"  He  was  then  John  Radcliffe,  Esq.,  as  he  was  not  knighted  till  1578.  "S'  John  Radcliff  of  Ordesall  in  com.  Lancaslic, 
dubbed  [knight]  at  Ilampton  Court  on  Shrove  Sonday,  anno  l577[-8],  in  February." 

"  A  copy  is  preserved  in  the  Enrollment  Books  in  the  Bishop's  Registry,  Chester,  vol.  ij,  p.  158,  and  this  has  been  printed 
by  the  Chetham  Society  (Lain,  and  Clicsli.  Wills,  ij.  6S). 

''  A  copy  of  his  will,  dated  22nd  March,  41  Elizabeth  [1598-9],  is  preserved  in  the  Enrollment  Books  in  the  Bishop's 
Registry,  Chester,  vol.  ij.  p.  232,     It  was  proved  26th  Nov.,  1599. 

1  His  next  brother,  ^Yilliam  Radcliffe,  bapt.  at  Manchester,  28th  June,  1577,  had  been  slain  at  Blackwatcr,  in  Ireland, 
unmarried,  in  1598. 


SANDBACH. 


Radcliffe  and  liis  heirs.  But  in  May,  l6i2,  it  was  finall}-  agreed  between  the  said  Sir  John 
Radcliffe  and  Richard  Steele,  &c.,  that  the  said  manor  and  premises  should  be  conveyed  to 
Thomas  Rowe,  of  Hartford,  co.  Chester,  yeoman,  and  William  Crombocke,  of  Salford,  co.  Lane, 
yeoman,  upon  trust,  to  convey  the  said  several  messuages  to  the  said  purchasers,  and  by  a  deed 
dated  28th  June,  161 2,  the  said  John  Weld  was  authorised  so  to  convey  the  said  manor  to  the 
said  Thomas  Rowe  and  William  Crombocke,  and  did  so  by  deed  dated  29th  June,  which  \\as 
enrolled  in  the  High  Court  of  Chancery.  The  manorial  rights  and  the  remainder  of  the  manor 
not  sold,  were  subsequent])-  purchased  by  Sir  Randle  Crew,  knt.,  and  from  him  have  descended 
to  Hungerford,  Lord  Crcv,-e,  who  is  the  present  lord  of  the  manor  and  the  owner  of  a  large 
estate  in  the  township. 

From  a  deed  copied  in  Hark  MSS.  2,074,  f.  195,  it  appears  that  there  was  granted  to  Sir 
John  Radcliffe,  knt,  by  Queen  Elizabeth,  4th  April,  1579,  the  right  to  hold  a  market  every 
Thursday  in  his  manor  of  Sandbach,  and  two  fairs  in  each  year,  one  of  which  was  to  be 
held  on  the  Thursday  and  Friday  before  the  feast  of  the  Nativity  of  the  Virgin  Mary  [.Sth 
September],  and  the  other  on  the  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  in  Easter  week.  Courts  Lect  and 
Courts  Baron  were  held  for  this  manor,  no  doubt,  from  an  early  period,  and  I  have  in  my 
possession  a  folio  volume  containing  the  records  of  the  Courts  for  the  manor  of  Sandbach  for 
the  year  1554,  and  then  from  1569  to  15S5.  The  contents  of  this  volume  consist  chiefly  of 
the  various  petty  charges  which  came  before  the  jur)',  relating  to  breaches  of  the  peace,  affrays, 
encroachments,  claims  of  debt  and  other  suits  between  tenants,  violation  of  the  various  statutes 
then  in  force,  and  the  returns  of  the  names  of  the  heirs  of  deceased  tenants,  &c.  Constables, 
burleymen,  affeerors,  and  woodlookers  were  appointed  at  these  Courts,  which  were  held  once 
a  year,  soon  after  Michaelmas,  but  after  1579  they  appear  to  have  been  held  twice  in  each 
year,  after  Easter  and  Michaelmas.'' 

A  few  entries  maybe  of  interest.  In  1579  '^^  ^^''is  presented  "that  Margaret  Sharman 
and  Grace,  the  vicar's  maiden,  did  fight  at  the  well,  upon  slanderous  speeches  g}'ven  out 
by  Grace,  the  vicar's  maiden,  against  Margaret  Sharman's  mother";  and  also  "that  the 
said  Margaret  Sharman  made  a  fra}-e  on  Anne  Shawe  at  the  well,  and  that  the  latter  fray 
was  upon  a  like  occasion  "  to  the  former.  In  October,  1583,  the  jury  presented  that  William 
Liversage,  Esquire,  Ralph  Hassall,  gent.,  William  Liversage,  jun.,  gent.,  Thomas  Liversagc, 

geait.,  Richard  Liversage,  gent., Holt,  gent.,  John  Shaw,  clerk.  Vicar  of  Sandbach,  Henry 

Gandey,  John  Lyngart,  William  York,  William  Whittakers,  George  Whittakers,  Thomas 
Hassall,  William  Lingart,  clerk,  Richard  Hutton,  Randle  Barlow,  Richard  Meriell,  John 
Elison,  Ralph   Newton,  Randle  Locket,  William   Hassall,  Richard   Wallcy,  Thomas  Moore, 

Thomas  Moore  of  Woodhouse,   Mr Chetwood,  John   Millington,    Robert  Richardson, 

James  Carter,  Thomas  Cliffe,  William  Shawe,  John  Warmincham,  and  John  Bolt,  made 
use  of  an  unlawful  game,  viz.,  "  Bowling  upon  the  common  green  or  commons,"  contrary 
to  the  statute,^  for  which  each  person  was  liable  to  pay  3s.  4d.  But  the  above  persons,  who 
seem  to  have  represented  the  chief  landowners  and  inhabitants  in  the  township,  were  not 
to  be  repressed,  for,  in  the  next  Court,  held   30th  ;\pril,  15S4,  William  Liversage,  Esq.,  High 

■■  The  Court  held  6th  Oct.,  1579,  is  for  the  first  time  entitled,  "  View  of  Frankpledge  with  the  great  Court  Baron  of 
Sir  John  Radclyfi'e,  knt.,  held  there  before  William  Carter,  steward  of  the  said  Court."  Previously,  the  Courts  were  simply 
styled  as  in  1577,  "  Court  of  John  Kadclyffe,  Esq.,  held  at  Sandbach,  before  the  said  John,"  iScc. 

'  Wilkinson,  in  his  instructions  how  to  keep  a  Court  Leet,  refers  to  the  statute  prohibiting  the  playing  of  bowls  and  other 
unlawful  games  in  alehouses,  &c.  ;  and  he  adds,  "  no  man  may  play  at  any  vnlawfuU  game  ins.atiably,  vnlesse  he  can  dispend 
C.  li  pan.  [£  100  /c- 1-  a  I!  II  HI//]  in  hands,  fees  or  oflices,  for  life  at  the  least:  and  hee  may  not  p\ay  ne'uhei  in  oiij  o/ci/  fi'mi 
where  euery  one  tliat  will  may  see  him,  but  in  his  house,  or  in  his  Orchard  or  Garden,  vpon  paine  of  6s.  Sd.  for  every  time.'' 


SANDBACH   TOWNSHIP. 


Sheriff  of  Cheshire,  Ralph  Hassali,  Richard  Liversage,  gent.,  Thomas  Liversage,  gent.,  Wilh'ani 

Liversage,  jun.,  gent.,  WiUiam   Lawton,  gent Done,  gent.,  Ralph  Egerton,  gent.,  .... 

Hassali  of  Nauntewiche,  gent.,  John  Shaw,  clerk.  Vicar  of  Sandbach,  and  others,  were  presented 
for  the  same  offence. 

In  the  list  of  freeholders,  &c.,  in  this  town.ship  in    1671   (Harl.  RISS.  2,010)  these  names 
occur : — 

John  Crew  of  Crew  Esq.  lord  of  the  manor. 

William  Raven  of  Ehvorth  in  Sandbach  [township]. 

Francis  Wells ;  Hugh  ^^'alley  ;  John  Wright,  John  Sarrett,  who  has  a  house  upon  his  lands ;  Oliver 
Lockett,  William  Hartley. 

William  Shaw  of  the  Lake  in  Sandbach. 

Randle  Whittakers  ;  Rafe  Noden,  no  house   on   his  land  ;  John   Walton,  no  house  on   his   land  ; 
John  Stanyer;  William  Walhvorth  :  James  Lc.i,  no  house  on  his  land  ;  John  Hassali  ;  Thomas  Whitakers 
John  Kent  of  Elton,  no  house  on  his  land. 


(Erctoc  at  Crctuc. 


SANDBACIl 


CI)r  Coiuu  of  ^antibarl). 


HE  earliest  description  of  the  town  of  Sandbach  is  that  written  by  William  Smith, 
one  of  the  officers  of  the  Heralds'  College,  London,  r.  1585.  Smith,  who  was 
a  Cheshire  man  by  birth,  thus  describes  it  i''' — 

"  Sani>1!ach  (commonly  called  Sandbetch)  standeth  on  a  high  Bank  upon  the 
small  Eiver  of  M'heelock,  and  is  but  a  little  town  with  a  fair  Church  of  stone,  lately 
made  a  market  town,''  by  Sir  John  Raddiff,  who  is  Lord  thereof.  It  hath  a  small 
market  every  T/iiirsdav.  and  yearly  two  Fairs  ;  that  is  to  say,  on  Tuesday  and  IVediusday  in  Easier  week; 
and  T/tiirsdav  and  Fnday  before  The  Xatiiity  of  our  Lady  [8th  September]. 

"  In  the  market  ])lace  do  stand  hard  together  two  square  Crosses  of  Stone,  on  steps,  with  certain 
Images  and  \\'rilings  thereon  graven  :  which,  as  they  say,  a  man  cannot  read,  except  he  be  holden  with 
his  head  downwards  :  .Vnd  this  verse  (as  tliey  hold  opinion)  is  engraved  thereon.'' 

"  In  Saxdijach  in  the  Sandy  Ford 

l.ieth  the  ninth  part  of  Dublin's  hord. 
Nine  to  or  Nine  fro. 

Take  me  down  or  else  I  fall. 

"They  also  affirm,  that  the  said  Crosses  were  set  up  there  before  the  Birth  of  Christ:  But  that 
is  not  so,  for  the  story  of  the  Passion  is  graven  thereon  ;  but  whether  the  said  Verses  be  written  thereon, 
or  no,  I  know  not.  Certain  1  am,  that  on  Sunday  morning,  the  i  of  Novenib.,  1561,  there  were 
three  chests  of  Tinne,  or  such  like  mettal,  found  neer  the  said  River,  but  nothing  in  them.  On  the 
covers  were  certain  Letters,  or  characters  engraved,  which  chests  were  carried  to  the  Sheriffs." 


that 


:n  by  William  Webb,  M.A.,  who  wrote  c.  162 1 


The  next  account  of  Sandbach 
as  follows''  :  — 

"  From  thence  [Whceiock]  we  turn  again  a  little  Northerly  to  view  Sandbaeh,  whose  Church  and 
lofty  Steeple  drawes  our  eye  to  behold  it,  and  wherein  Sandbach,  is  a  pretty  Market  Town,  and  hath 
belonged  long  to  the  noble  race  of  Knights  of  the  Rateliffes  of  Urdshall  in  Lancashire  ;  and  the  scituation 
of  this  Town  is  very  delightsome.  The  chief  Seignory  thereof  now  belongs  to  the  worthy  knight  before 
mentioned.  Sir  Randal  Creio.  Mr.  Ca/ubden  in  his  description  of  Derby,  took  occasion  to  delight  his 
Reader  with  a  discourse  of  the  nappy  Ale  of  Darly  :  Let  me  have  a  little  leave  to  touch  ujjon  that 
Subject ;  Our  .Vie  here  at  Sandbaeh  being  no  less  fomous  than  that  of  a  true  nappe.'      And  I  have  heard 

'  Trinted  in  King's  I'a/e  A'oyall  of  Jin^^laiiil,  1656,  p.  46. 
''  'I'liib  was  on  the  4th  April,  1579  (see  p.  t>). 

'  It  is,  perhaps,  needless  to  say  that  no  such  doggerel  as  this  could,  by  .my  possibility,  ha\c  been  engraved  on  the  crosses, 
These  lines  possibly  embody  some  old  tradiiion  ;  but,  as  they  stand,  they  are  meaningless. 

''  Printed  in  King's  I'ale  Royall  of  England,  1656,  pp.  77-8. 

*■  Xappc  is  an  old  word  signifying  that  the  ale  had,  as  we  should  say,  "a  good  head  "  on  it  when  poured  out.  On  an 
epitaph  in  rresllnuy  Churchyard  to  Thomas  13ennison,  head  liuntsman  tor  many  years  to  Charles  Legh,  of  Adlinglon,  esip , 
who  died  I7ih  Keb.  176S,  aged  seventy-five,  are  these  lines: — 

"  The  Joys  of  his  Heart  were  good  Hounds  and  good  Nappy, 
Oh  !  wish  liim  for  ever  still  more  and  more  Happy." 


THE   CROSSES. 


men  of  deep  experience  in  that  element  contend  for  the  worth  of  it,  that  for  true  dagger  stuffe  it  should 
give  place  to  none'^ '' 

It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  there  is  here  no  mention  of  the  two  stone  Crosses,  which 
were  so  much  noticed  b\-  Smith  in  1585,  as  already  quoted. 

THE    CROSSES. 

The  two  CrosSE.'=;  in  the  Market-place,  situated  to  the  west  of  the  chiu-ch,  arc  by  far  the 
most  interesting  monuments  of  their  kind  which  arc  to  be  found  in  the  whole  county,  and  as 
such  have  excited  much  attention.  Their  general  appearance  at  the  present  time  is  shown  in 
the  accompanying  plate,  drawn  from  a  careful  photograph.  The)'  arc  mentioned  b\'  Smith,  in 
1585,  as  then  standing  in  the  Market-place,  but  they  arc  not  referred  to  b}'  Webb  in  162 1,  and  I 
have,  so  far,  found  no  reference  to  them  in  any  of  Randlc  Holme's  MSS.  in  the  British  Museum. 
Some  time  in  the  seventeenth  century,  but  for  what  cause  or  how  we  are  at  present  quite 
ignorant.  the\'  were  pulled  down,  great  violence  being  used  to  accomplish  this  end.  Some  of 
the  fragments  were  used  for  building  purposes  in  the  town,  but  the  central  part  of  the  large 
cross  and  some  portions  of  the  other  were  taken  by  Sir  John  Crewe  to  Utkinton,  near 
Tarporley,  in  this  county,  and  were  there  set  up  as  ornaments  to  his  grounds.  Looking  upon 
the  figure  of  our  Saviour  on  the  Cross  as  a  relic  of  popery,  he  had  it  carefully  covered  over 
with  mortar.  Some  time  after  Sir  John  Crewe's  death  in  171 1  these  pieces  were  removed  by 
the  Rev.  John  Allen,  Rector  of  Tarporley,  to  the  Rectory  House  there,  where  they  were  seen  by 
Cole,  the  antiquary,  about  1757,  who  made  drawings  of  them,  now  remaining  among  his  MSS. 
in  the  British  Museum  (Add.  MSS.  5,830).  Froni  here  they  were  removed  to  Oulton,?  where 
they  were  seen  by  Mr.  S.  Lysons,  who  made  careful  drawings  of  them,  which  are  engraved  in 
one  of  the  plates  published  in  the  accoimt  of  Cheshire  in  the  Magna  Britannia,  printed  in 
1 8 10.  He  also  sketched  some  of  the  fragments  then  to  be  seen  at  Sandbach,  and  engraved  two 
plates,  the  one  showing  details  of  the  fragments  of  the  smaller  cross  then  standing  at  Sandbach, 
and  the  other  exhibiting  the  two  crosses  partially  restored  from  the  fragments  then  known.'' 

In  iSi5,when  the  late  Mr.  Ormerod  was  engaged  upon  his  History  of  Chcsliire,  he  described 
the  fragments  of  the  crosses  then  at  Oulton,  and  expressed  regret  that  thej-  should  not  be 
restored  to  their  proper  places.  Shortl}-  afterwards,  Sir  John  Grey  Egerton,  of  Oulton,  Bart., 
agreed  to  allow  the  pieces  to  be  remo\cd  from  there,  and,  the  inhabitants  of  Sandbach  collecting 
all  the  fragments,  which  could  then  be  found  in  the  town,  the  crosses  were  re-erected  as  the}- 
are  at  present.  The  work  of  restoring  them  was  intrusted  to  Mr.  John  Palmer,  a  well-known 
Manchester  architect,  and  Mr.  Ormerod  superintended  the  work  at  the  request  of  the  inhabitants. 
He  thus  describes  the  restoration  of  these  most  interesting  remains' : — 

"  The  lower  parts  of  the  great  cross  were  found  in  the  walls  of  the  town  well,  which  were  taken 
down  for  this  purpose  ;  a  small  portion  of  them  had  been  previously  discovered  there  by  Messrs.  Lysons, 
and  is  engraved  with  the  Oulton  fragments,  and  the  perfect  part  of  the  small  cross  and  the  top  of  the 

'  The  writer  then  goes  on  to  compare  this  ale  to  oil,  cSic. 

e  At  Oulton  they  adorned  a  grotto  at  one  end  of  a  garden.     On  one  of  the  fragments  belonging  to  the  small  cross  some 
lines  in  old  English  characters  were  carved,  but  when  the  Crosses  were  replaced  these  Imes  were  tilleil  up  with  Roman  cement. 

•■  I  have  the  original  drawings  of  the  details  of  the  fragments  of  the  crosses,   both  at  S.indbach  and  Oulton,  which  were 
made,  c.  1770,  for  Dr.  Foote  Gower,  who  then  contemplated  bringing  out  a  History  of  Cheshire.     A  view  of  the  fragment  of 
the  smaller  cross,  as  it  stood  in  Sandbach  in  1S14,  appears  m  Byrne's  Cheshire  I'itzvs.     It  was  drawn  by  W.  Alexander,  F.S.  A. 
and  I  am  fortunate  enough  to  possess  the  or.ginal  water-colour  drawing,  very  fmely  done,  from  which  the  plate  was  engraved. 

'  Ormerod's  History  of  Clicsltirc,  new  edition,  vol.  iii.  p.  99,  notes. 


SANDBACH. 


lari^cr  one,  in  tlicir  .l/rf;,v/(r  Brita'iniit.  The  two  next  fragments  came  from  Oulton.  The  higher  parts  were 
found  at  Sandhach  :  the  nio-.t  important  of  them,  viz.,  tlie  termination  of  the  pillar  united  to  the  fragment 
of  the  circular  top,  was  dug  up  near  the  market-place,  in  a  girden  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Perceval. 

'•The  lowest  fragment  of  the  small  cross  escajied  tlic  fate  of  the  rest,  and  was  the  only  part  standing 
in  iSiC:  the  second  was  brought  from  Oulton,  the  highest  was  placed  in  the  pavement  of  the  principal 
street.  The  fragment  of  the  top  was  discovered  by  the  author,  as  forming  part  of  the  steps  of  a  house 
near  the  town  well.  A  few  portions  had  disappeared  shortly  before,  when  the  town  was  new  paved,  and 
one  large  fragment  is  known  to  lie  under  the  foundations  of  a  house  in  Sandbach. 

"The  re-erection  of  tlie  crosses  was  effected  in  Sept.  iSi6  by  Mr.  John  Palmer,  of  Manchester, 
architect,  whose  liberality  on  the  occasion,  as  well  as  his  scientific  arrangements,  cannot  be  too  highly 
.  commended  :  all  attempts  at  restoration  were  directed  to  be  religiously  abstained  from,  and  the  chasms 
■were  filled  in  with  plain  stone,  matching  the  colour  of  the  original  as  nearly  as  possible. 

"The  enthusiasm  which  the  re-erection  of  the  crosses  excited  among  the  lower  orders  was  excessive, 
and  a  concourse  of  people  poured  in  from  distant  townships.  On  some  da\s  the  crowd  was  sufficiently 
great  in  the  market  place  to  interrupt  the  operations  of  the  workmen.'' 

At  a  inccting  of  the  inhabitants  of  Sandbach,  held  at  the  [Market  Hall,  9th  Sept.  18 16,  a 
\'otc  of  thanks  was  given  to  Sir  John  Grey  Eyerton,  Bart.,  "  for  the  handsome  manner  in  \\-hich 
he  had  restored  those  parts  of  their  cross,"  and  it  was  rcsol\-ctl  "  that  Geort,'^c  Ormerod,  Esq.^ 
be  desired  to  accept  the  thanks  of  the  meeting  for  the  kindness  with  which  he  has  offered  to 
superintend  the  re-erection  of  the  mutilated  crosses,  and  that  a  brass  plate  with  a  suitable 
inscription  to  the  following  effect  should  be  affixed  to  the  larger  pillar:  — 

'■These  Crosses  |  supposed  to  have  been  erected  |  on  the  introduction  of  Christianity  into  this 
Island  I  ha\ing  been  much  mutilated,  |  and  in  part  broken  down  and  carried  away  |  were  \  by  the 
liberality  of  Sir  John  (."irey  Egerton  |  of  Egerton  and  Oulton  in  this  County  Baronet  |  in  restoring 
those  portions,  |  which  had  been  an  ornament  to  his  grounds  ]  and  by  the  zeal  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Sandbach  |  in  collecting  the  scattered  fragments,  |  restored  and  re-erected,  |  as  ixx  as  the  imperfect 
state  of  the  materials  would  permit  |  in  the  }'ear  of  our  Lord  mdcccxvi."* 

Drawings  of  the  details  of  the  two  crosses  were  made  by  Mr.  Palmer,  and  two  plates, 
showing  the  four  sides  of  each  cross,  were  engraved  in  Ormerod's  History  of  Cheshire,  1S19, 
and  are  here  reproduced.  These,  whilst  accurate  enough  in  general,  fail  somewhat  in  giving 
the  characteristic  features  of  the  sculptures,  the  figures,  for  instance,  being  too  thinly  drawn, 
and  not  filling  up  the  compartments  in  which  they  arc  placed,  as  they  do  in  the  original. 
The  scroll  work  and  cable  mouldings  are  also  not  shown  as  massive-looking  as  they  should  be. 

The  Crosses  consist  of  two  upright  pillars,  each  of  which  is  fixed  in  a  thick,  heavy  stone 
socket.  These  sockets  are  placed  on  a  wide  platform  of  two  steps,  having  at  each  of  the 
angles  stone  posts,  which  have  once  been  ornamented  with  carxing,  but  arc  now  much 
defaced  and  broken.  The  height  of  each  of  the  sockets  is  2  ft.  6  in.,  and  of  each  step  of 
the  platform  i  ft.  6  in.,  making  the  total  height  of  the  whole  base  5  ft.  6  in.'^  The  height 
of  the  taller  cross  is  now  16  ft.  8  in.,  the  pillar  being  15  ft.  10  in.,  and  10  in.  of  the  circular 
top  remaining.  This  circular  top  appears  to  ha\'e  been  3  ft.  in  diameter,  which  would  make 
the  total  height  of  the  cross,  when  perfect,  about  19  ft.,  and,  including  the  base,  24  ft.  6  in. 
The  smaller  one  is    1 1  ft.    11  in.  in   height,  the  pillar  being    10  ft.  gin.,  and  i  ft.   2  in.  of  the 

•i  From  correspondence  .it  Oulton,  between  Sir  John  Grey  Kgeiton,  liart.,  and  John  I-'orJ,  Esq.,  of  AbbeyllelJ. — 
Ornieiod's  History  of  Chcshii,;  new  edition,  vol.  iii.  p.  loo. 

''  These  figure.^  are  those  taken  by  Mr.  Palmer  when  the  cros.ses  were  being  erected,  in  1S16.  lie  gives  the  diameter  of 
llie  larger  socket  at  the  base  as  5  ft.  9  in.,  and  the  measurements  of  the  smaller  socket  as  4  ft.  6  in.  by  3  ft.  9  in. 


4      ^4 


:  iJWjSt^^ 


Alk\^% 


tv^ 


^f,1 


'l^. 


Soiil/u-n,  Side. 


Norllia-n  Side. 


THE  GREAT  CROSS  AT  SANDBACH. 


XTo/ace  f:    13.] 


THE   CROSSES.  13 


broken    top  remaining.     The  exact    size   of  the   top,  and,   consequently,  tlic   original  height, 
of  this  cross  could  not  be  reckoned.' 

Each  of  the  four  sides  of  the  crosses,  as  shown  in  the  illustrations,  arc  covered  with 
sculptures,  but  it  is  b\-  no  means  cas\-  to  ascertain  what  these  scul]:)turcs  ha\-c  been  intended 
to  represent.  It  is,  howe\-er,  certain  that  those  on  the  taller  cross  represent  Scriptural  subjects, 
whilst  those  on  the  smaller  cross  are  believed  not  to  be  entirel)-  Scriptural,  but  to  represent 
some  historical  event  which  led  to  the  crosses  being  erected.  On  the  eastern  side  of  THE 
Gre.\T  CroS-S,  commencing  at  the  bottom,  have  been  two  small  figures  of  angels  looking 
upward  ;  above  them  is  a  large  circle  containing  three  figures,  to  the  central  of  which  the 
others  appear  to  be  paying  obeisance.™  Above  the  circle  arc  three  figures,  the  central  one 
having  over  the  right  shoulder  a  cross  and  over  the  left  a  dove.  The  figure  on  the  left  has  a 
pair  of  kc}-s  in  the  left  hand,  that  on  the  right  having  apparent!)'  a  book  in  its  hands.  This 
has  probably  been  intended  for  our  Lord,  with  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  on  either  side  of  him." 
Above  this  group  of  figures  is  a  small  gap,  and  then  comes  a  representation  of  our  Lord 
in  the  manger  with  an  animal  on  each  side  looking  into  the  manger,  and  above  is  an  angel 
hovering  over  the  child.  Above  this  is  the  Crucifi.xion,  with  two  figures  at  the  base  of  the 
cross,  and  in  each  of  the  four  quarters  formed  b)-  the  limbs  of  the  cross  are  the  emblems 
of  the  Evangelists, — an  angel  for  St.  Matthew,  a  lion  for  St.  Mark,  an  ox  for  St.  Luke,  and 
an  eagle  for  St.  John.  Abox'c  these  are  several  mutilated  figures,  one  of  which  is  represented 
head  downwards. 

The  western  side  at  the  bottom  has  two  grotesque  serpents,  or  dragons,  and  abo\-e  them 
eight  figures  in  pairs.  First  are  two  persons  or  angels,  now  much  mutilated.  Above  these 
are  an  angel  and  a  seated  figure,  possibl}-  representing  the  angel  Gabriel  appearing  to 
Zacharias  in  the  Temple.  Abo\'c  these,  again,  is  Simon  the  C}'renian,  carr\ing  the  cross, 
preceded  by  a  man,  carr}-ing  what  is  described  as  a  curved  ^\•and,  or  a  club.  0\-cr  these  is 
our  Saviour  (as  shown  by  the  nimbus  round  His  head),  with  His  hands  bound  by  a  cord,  which 
passes  over  the  shoulder  of  a  man  in  front,  who  is  thus  dragging  Him  along,  either  to  appear 
before  Pilate  or  to  be  crucified.     In  the  ujiper  part  of  this  side  are  four  mutilated  figures. 

The  sontlicrn  side  consists  of  scroll-work,  starting  from  the  top,  as  shown  in  the  illustration, 
with  figures  of  animals  here  and  there,  and  a  single  figure  of  a  man.  It  has  been  con- 
jectured this  sculpture  maj'  be  meant  for  St.  John  the  Baptist  in  the  wilderness.  The  nortliern 
side  appears  to  have  contained  eleven  figures  placed  in  two  columns,  each  alternate  figure  being 
placed  a  little  higher  than  his  opposite  neighbour.  Above  them  all  is  a  large  winged  fish,  with 
the  mouth  downward,  with  a  projecting,  triply-cloven  tongue.  This  clearly  illustrates  the  descent 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  eleven  apostles  (St.  Matthias  being  purpo.sely  omitted).  The  entire 
cross  has  been  finished  with  a  circular  sculptured  head,  of  which  only  a  fragment  now  remains. 

The  Small  Cross  is  ornamented  in  a  somewhat  different  manner  to  the  larger  one.  The 
nortliern  side  is  di\"ided  into  a  double  row  of  square-topped  cells,  in   each  of  which  is  the  figure 

'  The  breadth  at  the  b.ise  of  the  large  cross  is  given  by  Mr.  Palmer  as  2  ft.  7  in.  liy  i  ft.  10  in.  on  the  south  side,  and 
2  ft.  on  the  north  side  ;  the  breadth  at  the  top,  i  ft.  2  in.  by  10  in.  The  breadth  at  the  base  of  the  small  cross  is  2  ft.  i/.  in. 
by  I  ft.  Si  in.,  and,  at  the  highest  perfect  part,  I  ft.  6  in.  by  I  ft. 

'"  This  description  is  based  on  those  given  by  Mr.  Ormerod  and  Mr.  Palmer,  who  had  the  advantage  ol  studying  the 
sculptures  whilst  on  the  ground.     Their  present  height  renders  them  very  difficult  to  study  in  detail. 

"  I  am  much  indebted  to  the  Rev.  G.  F.  Browne,  B.D.,  of  Cambridge,  who  is  preparing  a  monograph  on  the  Sculptured 
Stones  of  Great  Britain,  for  various  notes  on  these  crosses,  w  hich  he  has  examined  very  carefully.  Mr.  Palmer,  in  the 
Cnlholic  Gentleman's  iMagazitie,  vol.  i.  p.  303,  conjectured  that  this  group  of  figures  represented  the  Annunciation,  the  Holy 
Ghost  descending  on  the  Virgin  Mary  in  the  form  of  a  dove.     See  also  the  Addenda  at  the  end  of  this  History. 


14  SANDBACH. 


of  a  man,  some  with  instruments  in  their  hands,  and  others  without.  There  are  twelve  human 
figures  in  all.  At  the  top  is  a  double  dragon,  with  tongues  worked  into  a  skilful  interlacing 
pattern.  The  \\  hole  subject  is  probably  the  same  as  that  on  the  north  side  of  the  large  cross, 
\-iz.,  the  descent  of  the  IIol_\-  Gliost.  The  soutlicrn  side  is  similarl\-  di\idcd  into  a  double  row  of 
round-topped  cells,  in  each  of  which  is  a  figure  of  a  man,  some  walking  with  sta\-es  in  their  hands, 
and  others  standing  still  ;  at  the  bottom  are  two  angels  looking  upwards.  The  eastern  side 
is  divided  into  fi\e  lozenge-shaped  compartments,  having  figures  of  men  and  animals  in  the 
interstices  between  them.  In  the  uppermost  lozenge  is  the  figure  of  an  animal  (?  a  bull)  with 
its  head  turned  round  o\cr  its  back.  The  next  lower  lozenge  contains  three  small  figures 
of  men  curiousl)'  joined  together.  The  next  appears  to  ha\e  contained  a  serpent  or  dragon  ; 
and  the  two  lowest  contain  each  a  standing  figure  of  a  man,  full  faced,  with  a  club  in  his 
hand.  The  top  of  the  cross  has  been,  apparcntl)-,  in  the  form  of  a  Maltese  cross,  the  portion 
now  left  showing  on  this  side  the  figure  of  a  man  upside  down.  The  lecstcrn  side  has  at 
the  bottom  two  angels  looking  upwards,  then  two  groups  of  three  figures,  and  one  of  two 
figures,  arranged  in  small  cells,  above  which  is  a  group  of  three  standing  figures,  the  central 
one  being  taller  and  larger  than  the  other  two.  Over  the  right  shoulder  of  the  central  figure  is 
a  cross,  and  o\er  the  left  is  a  dove.  This  is  evidently  the  same  subject  as  that  on  the  east  side 
of  the  large  cross,  the  side  figures  carr_\-ing  a  pair  of  keys  and  a  book.  The  upper  part  of  this  side 
is  much  of  it  dcstro\'ed.  Iinough,  ho\vc\er,  remains  to  indicate  that  there  was  a  crucifixion, 
treated  exactly  as  on  the  large  cross.  ]5oth  the  eastern  and  western  sides  cjf  this  cross  ha\'c 
the  figures  enclosed  within  a  margin  of  bcautifull}--interlaccd  scroll-work  in  several  patterns. 

Such  is  as  complete  a  description  of  these  interesting  monuments  as  can  probably  be 
gi\cn.  As  already  stated,  the  Great  Cross  shows  the  chief  truths  of  Christianity,  depicting, 
apparently,  on  three  of  its  sides,  the  story  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  in  the  wilderness,  the  Annun- 
ciation, the  Birth  of  our  Lord,  and  probabl}-  also  the  various  scenes  in  His  betra}-al  and  His 
trial,  terminating  in  His  Crucifixion,  and  possibh'  also,  in  one  of  the  now  destro\-ed  portions, 
the  Resurrection.  The  remaining  side  is  devoted  to  depicting  the  descent  of  the  Hol_\-  Ghost 
on  the  Apostles.  The  Small  Cross,  whilst  also  showing  Scriptural  subjects,  ma}'  lia\'e  been 
intended  to  illustrate  some  great  fact  of  historical  importance,  and  ]\Ir.  Palmer  conjectured 
with,  it  seems  to  us,  much  probabilit}-,  that  it  commemorates  the  return  of  I'eada,  the  son  of 
Pcnda,  King  of  Mercia,  from  Xorthumbria  to  Mercia.  Peada  had  been  on  a  \isit  to  Oswy 
King  of  Northumbria,  and  there  fell  in  line  with  Alchfieda,  Osw)-'s  daughter.  He  was  allowed 
to  marry  her  upon  condition  that  he  embraced  the  Christian  religion.  This  he  agreed  to 
do,  and  then  returned  to  his  own  land,  accompanied  b_\'  four  priests,  to  whom  he  had 
promised  permission  to  preach  the  Gospel  throughout  his  dominions.  The  figures  in  the 
act  of  walking,  shown  on  the  southern  side,  ma\-  possibh-  depict  his  return,  together  with 
attendants,  priests,  &c.,  from  Xorthumbria  to  Mercia.  The  sculptures  on  the  eastern  side  not 
imprc)babl\'  recorded  some  facts  of  interest  now  wholh'  lost. 

If  the  abo\e  conjectures  be  adopted,  then  these  two  crosses  most  probabh-  commemorate 
the  introduction  of  Christianit\-  into  Mercia  b_\-  Peada,  which  event  we  are  told  b)-  Bede 
[Book  HI.  chap,  xxi],  happened  in  the  _\ear  653,  but  it  is  not  unlikel)-  that  they  were  not 
erected  till  towards  the  end  of  that  centur\-.  Then  arises  the  question,  why  were  these  crosses 
erected  here.'    Was  Sandbach  the  place  where  the  doctrines  of  Christianity  were  first  preached," 

"  The  River  Mersey,  scp.ivalin!:;  I.ancasliire  from  l_'licslure,  is  commonly  litlieved  to  liave  been  the  northern  boundary  ol 
the  kingdom  of  .Mercin,  of  which  Cheshire  formed  |i.Trt. 


^ti^f'^frm^ 


m 


SM 


mm 
ma 


m 


m 


Norlhern  SiJe. 


Soul/iern  Sii/e. 


lVi:slerii  Sii/e. 


THE  SMALL  CROSS  AT  SANDBACH. 


iro/ace  />.   14,) 


SANDBACH    DURING   THE   CIVIL   WAR,   ETC.  15 

or  was  it  here  that  some  great  assembly  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  kingdom  took  place, 
where  the  great  truths  of  Christianity  were  taught,  and  where  man)-  were  converted?  But, 
alas!  histor\'  is  altogether  silent  on  this  point,  and  we  can  only  believe  that  Sandbach  must 
have  been  the  scene  of  some  event  of  great  importance,  to  commemorate  which,  these  two 
crosses  were  erected  some  1,200  years  or  so  ago. 

SANDBACH    DURING   THE   CIVIL   WAR,   ETC. 

Sandbach  appears  to  have  taken  little  or  no  active  part  in  the  troublous  times  of  the 
Civil  War.  Yet,  from  its  proximity  to  Nantwich,  which  was  a  place  of  considerable  import- 
ance, and  which  changed  hands  many  times  during  the  struggle,  it  must  have  seen  many 
bodies  of  men  passing  through  it,  and  the  inhabitants  were  no  doubt  pillaged  and  harassed 
by  Royalists  and  Parliamentarians  in  turn.  Towards  the  end  of  this  long  struggle,  after 
the  execution  of  Charles  I.,  when  his  son,  afterwards  Charles  II.,  was,  with  the  help  of  the 
Scotch  army,  making  one  last  attempt  to  secure  the  throne,  a  skirmish  took  place  at  Sandbach, 
after  the  decisive  Battle  of  Worcester  on  the  3rd  Sept.  1651,  when  Cromwell  defeated  the 
hitherto  victorious  Scots.  The  remains  of  the  defeated  army  made  all  haste  to  return  to 
Scotland,  and  one  body  of  them,  passing  through  Sandbach,  was  set  upon  by  the  inhabitants, 
as  narrated  in  the  following  contemporary  accounts  : — 

Mercurius  Politiciis.  No.  66.  p.  1057.  [News]  from  Newcastle-under-Lyne  Sept.  6.  [1651.] 

"The  Scots  after  the  great  and  Total  Rout,  posted  back  towards  Scotland  the  same  way  they  came, 
and  were  got  as  far  as  Sanbatcli  upon  Thursday,  [Sept  4]  at  3  a  clock  afternoon,  at  least  40  miles  distant 
from  the  place  of  the  battail,  where  the  honest  men  at  Sanbatch  had  a  CoiDiter-Sciifflc  with  them,  such 
a  one  as  deserves  to  be  taken  notice  of 

"  The  Enemy  were  then  supposed  to  be  about  1000  Horse,  and  came  through  the  Town  of  Sanbatch 
that  day,  being  the  Fat'r-dayV .■  But  the  honest  Townsmen  and  countrymen  perceiving  their  condition, 
fell  upon  them  with  clubs  and  staves,  and  the  very  poles  wherewith  they  made  their  stalls  and  standings ; 
and  as  they  came  down  they  still  fell  upon  them,  fetching  some  from  off  their  Horses.  They  so  mannaged 
the  business,  that  when  the  Scots  offered  to  fire,  they  ran  into  their  houses  and  as  soon  as  that  party 
was  past,  which  had  the  Pistols  and  powder  (their  being  onely  the  frontiers  [/.<■.  the  foremost]  that  had 
shot)  they  fell  still  upon  the  remainder  of  the  Troops,  and  so  continued  pealing  [?  pelting]  them  and  billing 
them,  during  the  passage  of  all  their  Horse.  In  this  Scuffle,  the  Town  took  about  one  hundred  of  themi 
and  killed  some ;  as  also  there  were  some  of  the  Countrymen  killed.  This  relation  is  given  by  one  who 
was  an  eye  witness  ;  it  being  very  notable  that  such  men  should  engage  so  great  an  armed  body  with 
such  instruments.  But  the  Lord  had  striken  a  terror  into  the  Enemies  hearts  who  minded  only  the 
making  good  of  their  flight." 

From  Coiigleton  6  September,  Cheshire 

"  On  Thursday  last  towards  evening,  there  marched  by  our  Town  many  of  the  routed  Scots  ;  the 
Countrey  estimated  them  about  1000,  they  randezvouzed  on  a  Green  a  mile  from  off  us  and  there 
rested  a  great  part  of  that  night,  lying  close  together ;  they  were  by  the  Countrie  alarmed,  but  when  they 
went  thence,'  they  onely  discharged  a  Piece  and  gave  a  kinde  of  a  yell  or  scriech  and   so  marched ;  on 

1'  The  autumnal  Fair  was  to  be  held  on  the  T/mrsJay  and  Friday  next  before  the  Feast  of  the  Nativity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
Mai7  [Sept.  S]. 

1  A  similar  account  occurs  at  p.  1,297  of  .,4  Pei'focl  Diiiniall  of  some  passages... .in  relation  to  the  Armies,  Monday,  8  Sept. 
to  Monday,  15  Sept.  1651.  On  p.  1,279  >'  's  stated,  "From  C/iesler,  6  Sept.  A  parly  of  the  enemies  horse  past  through 
this  County :  TliursJay  night,  and  yesterday  some  seven  or  eiglit  Collours,  tliey  liad  some  btop  in  two  places,  at  SanJ/ia:;:;-  and  at 
Tai>sey[}'\'ah\ey,  near  Knutsford],  at  both  places  men  fell  on  both  sides,  but  their  party  being  numerous  p.ast  away  towards 
Lancashire,  ....  another  party  of  the  .Scots  being  near  1000  were  upon  Z>W£'i;  [Bowdon] /^orivw  yesterday  and  asUed  the  way 
to  .Stoet-port.'^     On  p.  i,2Sj  is  a  long  list  of  the  officers  taken  and  brought  to  Manchester,  on  the  gih  September. 


i6  SANDBACH. 


Friday  morning,  another  partie  of  the  Enemy  marched  by  us,  which  were  followed  by  the  Countrie,  who 
did  often  alarm  and  pursue  them  close  :  they  several  times  faced  about  and  charged,  the  Countrie  men 
shot  and  wounded  several  of  them;  we  have  now  in  Gv/yviv/c//  [sic  for  Congleton]  (which  we  purpose 
this  day  to  send  to  Cluslir)  about  50  prisoners,  amongst  wliom  are  Col.  Haiiiiltoii,  and  one  Sir  Williain 
Hart :  I  am  told  a  son  of  the  Lord  Iliiines,  is  likewise  come  in  a  prisoner  and  that  that  partie  of  Scots 
which  we  pursued,  are  all  taken  about  Diddeshiiry  [near  Manchester]  :  our  Countrey  men  in  the  general 
have  carried  themselves  very  well  in  this  business  ;  I  hope  they  will  have  a  rich  reward  of  mercy  witli 
God  &c.  In  Sanbatdi  there  was  some  hurt  done  in  the  fight,  about  thirty  persons  killed  and  wounded, 
about  7  or  8  already  dead.  Col  Barton  is  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy  with  one  thousand  hors  ;  he  quartered 
in  Congkton  yesternight,  and  will  this  night  march  to  Manchester  or  Bolton.  Major  General  Harrison 
lay  the  other  night  in   JVarrini^ton." 

Tlic  Weekly  Intelligencer  of  the  Common  Wealth.  Xo  37,  p  2^2  [loth  Sept.  i^si], 

"  At  Sanbatch  Fair  the  Inhabitants  and  Countrey  people  made  such  foul  work  with  them  [/.(■.  the 
enemy  flying  fromWorcesterl,  that  with  their  Clubs  and  Poles  they  dismounted  about  one  hundred  of  the 
thousand  Horse,  that  were  so  hardy  as  to  adventure  to  passe  through  the  Town  on  the  Fair  day,  and  took 
them  jjrisoners  which  are  to  be  sent  to  be  secured  in  Chester.  In  this  sen'ice  there  were  some  of  the 
Townsmen  and  of  the  Countrey  hurt  and  some  few  slain.  This  jjarty  of  the  Enemy  is  said  to  be 
commanded  by  Lieut:  Generall  J//</i//cA'«  s.nd  David  I.eshly  [Leslie]  who  were  not  taken  prisoners  in 
the  late  fight  at  Worcester,  as  some  have  reported. 

"  It  is  advertised,  that  on  the  next  morning,  being  Friday  [5th  Sept.],  this  party  of  the  Enemy  di\ided 
themselves  into  two  bodies,  one  part  of  them  posting  to  Knofsford,  and  the  other  towards  Alderly.  From 
Congleton  in  Cheshire  it  is  also  advertised  that  a  party  of  the  Scots  Horse  (belike)  the  same,  in  the  lines 
above  mentioned,  did  rendezvous  on  Thursday  night,  on  a  green  hill,  not  far  distant  from  that  Town,  and 
there  rested  lying  close  together,  a  great  part  of  that  night :  but  liefore  the  day  appeared,  they  were 
alarumed  by  the  Countrey :  whereupon  having  discharged  a  Piece  and  made  a  holla  they  departed. 

"  The  Inhabitants  in  this  &  the  neighbouring  Towns  have  shot  and  wounded  divers  of  the  Enemy  ; 
they  have  taken  above  fiftie  prisoners,  amongst  whom  are  Coll:  Hamilton,  and  one  Sir  William  Hart,  and 
a  Son  of  the  Lord  Humes.  It  is  said  that  one  Body  of  this  di\  ided  party  of  the  Scots  were  all  taken 
about  Diddesbury  [near  Manchester].  Many  of  the  Scots  Horses  have  been  so  extreamly  tyred,  that  their 
Riders  have  forsaken  them,  and  breaking  thorow  hedges,  have  chosen  to  go  on  foot,  and  to  adventure  in 
untrodden  Fields  to  secure  their  lives  ;  but  this  could  not  exempt  them  from  the  stricter  search  of  the 
Countrey  people,  who  generally  have  carried  themselves  very  well  in  this  business. 

"  I  have  Seen  a  Letter  which  aftirms,  that  two  Countrymen,  with  one  Dog  have  brought  in  sixteen 
prisoners,  they  making  little  or  no  resistance  whersoever  they  are  set  on  ;  and  either  weary  of  their  lives 
or  of  their  cause,  there  are  many  of  them  who  seem  glad  to  be  taken  and  do  readily  imbrace  the 
opportunity  to  tender  themselves  to  the  mercy  of  the  Parliament.'' 

The  abo\c  interesting  accounts  may  be  suj)plciricntcd  by  the  following,  taken  from  another 
contemporary  newspaper : — 

Severall  Proceedings  in  Parliament  4"'  Sept.  to  11"'  Sept.  165  i  p.  1575. 

"  Chester  6  Sept.  1651.  Maj.  Gen.  Harrison  is  now  in  this  Country  pursuing  the  Enemy  that  is 
flying  severall  wayes,  their  King  bidding  them  shift  for  themselves. 

"  From  Congleton  6  September  1 65 1.  L^pon  Thursday  night  last  David  Lesley  and  Middleton  with 
about  Soo  Horse  came  unexpectedly  to  Sandbach  which  was  then  Faire  day.  The  Townsmen  plucked 
downe  the  Stalles  and  with  the  long  Poles  and  such  like  weapons  resisted  the  whole  body.  The  dispute 
was  very  hot  for  two  vx  three  houres,  there  were  some  Townsmen  hurt  and  two  or  three  slaine,  the 
Townesmen  slew  about  nine  or  ten  and  tookc  loc  prisoners,  wliich  I  have  sent  to  Chester)  some  of  them 
Officers  and  men  of  ( Uialitie. 


OLD   SANDBACH    FAMILIES.  17 

"  Lesley  and  Middleton  hearing  the  Repulse,  being  in  the  Reare,  most  couragiously  wheeled  off  and 
marched  that  night  to  Somerford.  Friday  morning  the  Enemy  divided  and  went  part  to  Knotesford,  and 
part  towards  Alderley. 

"  I  and  some  others  of  this  Towne  [Congleton]  went  out  on  Fryday  morning  with  30  Horse  and 
pursued  200  of  the  Enemy  beyond  Wimsley  [Wilmslow],  we  marched  their  Reare  at  Alderley  and  killed 
two,  and  afterwards  beyond  Wimsley  wee  charged  them  againe ;  Many  prisoners  and  prizes  are  taken  daily, 
the  whole  Country  is  up,  we  have  about  80  prisoners  in  our  Goale,  whereof  Sir  IVill  Hart,  Col  Hambkton 
and  other  Officers  and  Gentlemen."'' 

It  is  traditionally  said  that  this  encounter  took  place  to  the  north-west  of  the  church,  on 
some  waste  land  still  called  Scotch  Common,  and  that  the  dead  arc  believed  to  have  been 
buried  on  the  north  side  of  the  church)-ard.  There  is,  howe\-er,  no  mention  of  any  such 
burials  in  the  parish  Register. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Newcome,  who  at  this  time  was  the  incumbent  of  Goostrey,  thus  notices 
these  events  in  h\s  An  fob  iograp/iy  (Chetham  Society's  Publications,  vol.  xxvi.  p.  33).  "The 
battle  having  been  at  Worcester  Sept.  3rd  [165 1]  by  exchange  I  preached  at  Sandbach, 
Sept.  /th,  by  the  invitation  of  my  cousin  G.  Manwaring  at  Artcluyd.  The  poor  Scots  were 
miserably  used  in  the  countr\',  and  so  many  of  them  put  into  the  church  at  Sandbach  that  we 
could  not  preach  in  it  ;  but  I  preached  in  the  church-\'ard  both  ends  of  the  da\-,  to  a  great 
congregation." 


OLD    SANDBACH    FAMILIES. 


Of  the  old  families  connected  with  Sandbach,  one  of  the  most  interesting  is  that  of  STEELE, 
one  member  of  which,  born  in  Sandbach,  became  Lord  Chancellor  of  Ireland.  According  to  a 
pedigree  entered  in  the  Cheshire  Visitation  of  1663,  THOMAS  STEELE,  of  Weston,  co.  Chester, 
yeoman  (whose  will  was  proved  at  Chester,  28th  May,  1607),  had  five  sons, — RICHARD  STEELE, 
the  eldest,  who  settled  at  Sandbach,  George  Steele,  of  Church  Coppenhall  and  Leighton,  co. 
Chester,  Robert,  Lawrence,  and  Thomas.  The  latter  was  the  unfortunate  Governor  of  Beeston 
Castle,  who  was  shot  for  surrendering  that  stronghold  to  the  Royalists.'  His  death  is  thus 
entered  in  the  Xantwich  Registers:  "  Captaine  Steele  shott "  buried  29"'  Jan.  1643-4.' 

Richard  Steele,  of  Sandbach,  was  married  there,  loth  Feb.  1G01-2,  to  Cicely  Shaw,  by 
whom  he  had  a  family  of  three  sons  and  four  daughters."  He  was  living  at  Finchley,  co. 
Middlesex,  in  163 1,  but  was  probably  buried  at  Sandbach  in  1645,  the  Register  containing  the 

'  The  name  of  the  writer  of  this  letter  is,  unfortunately,  not  given. 

'  Beeston  Castle  was  taken  on  the  13th  Dec.  1643,  as  thus  narrated  in  Burghall's  Diary: — "On  Wednesday  morning  a  liitle 
before  day,  Dec.  13,  Capt.  Sandford,  (who  came  out  of  Ireland)  wirh  eight  of  his  fireloclis,  crept  up  the  steep  hill  of  Beeston- 
Castle  and  got  into  the  inner  ward  and  took  possession  there.  It  must  needs  be  done  by  treachery,  for  the  place  was  most 
impregnable.  Capt.  Steel,  who  kept  it  for  the  Parliament,  was  accused,  and  suffered  for  it,  but  it  was  verily  thought  he  had 
not  betrayed  it  wilfully,  but  some  of  his  soldiers  proving  false,  he  had  not  courage  enough  to  withstand  Sandford  or  try  it  out 
with  him.  That  which  made  much  against  Steel  was,  he  took  Sandford  down  to  his  chamber,  where  they  dined  together,  and 
much  beer  was  sent  up  to  Sandford's  men,  and  the  Castle  upon  a  short  parley,  delivered  up  ;  Steel  and  his  men  having  liberty 
to  march  with  their  arms  and  colours  to  Nantwich  ;  which  accordingly  he  did  but  as  soon  as  he  was  come  into  the  town,  the 
soldiers  were  so  enraged  against  him,  that  they  would  have  pulled  him  in  pieces  had  he  not  been  got  away  presently  and  clapped 
into  prison." 

'  Thefollowing  is  from  Burghall's  Diary  : — "  L^pon  Monday  Jan.  29  [1643-4],  Tho.  Steel,  late  Governor  of  Beeston-Castle, 
who  before  had  judgment  to  dye  was  shot  to  death  in  Tinkers-Croft  [Nantwich]  by  two  soldiers,  who  shot  him  one  in  the  belly 
and  t'other  in  the  throat,  who  was  immediately  put  into  a  coflin  and  buried  in  the  churchyard.  He  made  confession  of  his  sins 
.  .  .  .  ,  he  prayed  a  great  while,  and  to  the  judgment  of  charity  died  penitently." 

"  He  is  said  to  have  lived  in  Sandbach,  at  a  "  moated  house  "  called  Giddy  Hall,  but  this  place,  if  it  ever  e.\isted,  is  now 
pulled  down.     There  is  a  Giddy  Lane,  near  .-Xbheyfield. 

11 


IS  SANDBACH. 


entry  of  the  burial  of  "  Richard  Steele  gent"  on  2nd  June  in  that  \'car.''  His  eldest  son  and 
heir,  W'lLLIAM  Sxi'.r.Li;,  who  was  baptised  at  Sandbach,  19th  Aug.  1610,  rose  to  positions  of 
considerable  eminence  in  the  time  of  the  Commonwealth.  He  was  entered  a  member  of  Gray's 
Inn,  13th  June,  1631,  being  described  as  eldest  son  of  Richard  Steele,  of  Finchle}',  co.  Middlesex, 
and  was  called  to  the  Bar  23rd  June,  1637.  He  was  returned  as  Member  of  Parliament  for 
Romne}',  in  Kent,  in  1639,  and  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Committee  for  Martial  Law  in 
1644.  He  was  about  this  time  a  candidate  for  the  appointment  of  Judge  of  the  Sheriff's  Court 
in  London,  but  John  Bradshaw,  his  fellow-countr\-man,  was  appointed  to  it.  In  1647  he 
prosecuted  Captain  Baile\-  for  his  abortixe  attempt  to  rescue  Charles  I.  from  the  Isle  of  Wight, 
and,  in  consequence  of  the  abilit\-  he  there  displa)-ed,  he  was  appointed  Attornc)'-General  for 
the  Commonwealth.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Commissioners  prior  to  the  trial  of  King  Charles 
on  the  8th  Jan.  1648  -9,  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  four  Counsel  to  be  employed  on  behalf  of  the 
Commonwealth  ;  but  on  the  i8th  Jan.,  when  the  King's  trial  really  commenced.  Col.  Tichbourne, 
one  of  the  Commissioners,  informed  the  Court  "  that  he  was  with  Mr.  Steel,  Attorney  of  this 
Court  and  found  him  in  his  Bed  \cr_\-  sick,  and  by  reason  thereof,  not  like  to  attend,  as  yet,  the 
Service  of  this  Court  according  to  former  Order."  He  added  that  he  in  no  way  declined  the 
service  of  the  Court,  but  that  it  was  "an  addition  to  his  Affliction  that  he  cannot  attend  this 
Court  to  do  that  Scrx'ice  that  the}'  have  expected  from  him  and  as  he  desires  to  perform."  "' 
His  place  was  according!)-  taken  b\-  Cooke,  the  Solicitor-General,  for  which  he  afterwards  lost 
his  life.  Steele  was.  however,  present  at  the  trial  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton  on  the  9th  Feb. 
1648-9,  and  his  speech  on  that  occasion  is  printed  in  the  State  Trials.  He  was  elected 
Recorder  of  London  on  the  J 5th  Aug.  1649,"^  and  was  created  a  Serjeant-at-Law  on  the 
9th  Feb.  1653-4,  and  on  the  28th  Ma}-,  1655,  he  was  made  Lord  Chief  Baron  of  the 
Exchequer.  This  high  office  he  did  not  long  retain,  being,  on  the  26th  Aug.  1656,'  promoted 
by  Cromwell  to  be  Lord  Chancellor  of  Ireland  and  Keeper  of  the  Great  Seal  there  "  during 
pleasure,"  he  having  had  "  ver\-  much  experience  of  the  great  wisdom  judgment  and  dis- 
cretion of  our  right  trust)-  and  well-beloved  \\'illiam  Steele,  Chief  Baron  of  our  Exchequer 
in  England."'  He  was  also  created  b)-  Cromwell  one  of  the  Lords  of  his  ''other  house"  by 
writ  of  summons  dated  9th  Dec.  1657.  He  remained  in  Ireland  as  Lord  Chancellor  as  long 
as  Henr)-  Cromwell,  the  son  of  the  Protector,  was  Lord-Lieutenant,  but  w-as  subsequently 
made  one  of  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  Ireland.  Being  nominated  by  Fleetwood  to  be 
one  of  the  Commissioners  of  Safet)-,  in  October,  1659,  "he  took  the  opportunit)","  says 
Ludlow,  a  contemporary  w-riter,  "  to  go  into  England  as  he  had  long  desired  to  do,  by 
whose  departure  the  affairs  of  Ireland  suffered  much,  he  being  generally  esteemed  to  be  a 
nian  of  great  prudence  and  uncorrupted  integrit)-.  At  London  he  refused  to  act  on  the 
Conimittec  of  Safet)-,  and  though  he  sometimes  went  to  W'allingford-house  and  discoursed 
with    Licutenant-General    Fleetwood    and    some    others,    about    things    relating    to    a    future 

'  His  wile  w.Ts  buried  at  Sandbach,  I2tli  Sept.  161S,  and  it  seems  probable  that  he  married,  secondly,  Ann  Smith,  widow. 
Her  will,  daleil  15th  Feb.  1649-50,  was  proved  .it  Chester,  loth  March,  1649-50.  She  leaves  legacies  to  her  sons,  Ralph  Smith 
and  Edward  Smith,  and  her  son  Geor<;e  .Steele,  and  speaks  of  ;^50  per  annum  due  to  her  at  Whetstone,  paid  by  her  son  Ralph. 
In  the  inventory  of  her  goods,  &c.,  she  is  called  "Ann  Steele  late  wife  of  Richard  Steele  of  Sandbach,  gent,  deceased,"  and 
"  George  Steele  gent  "  is  one  of  the  appraisers. 

"  Xalson's  Trial  of  Kin^  Charia,  p.  21. 

'He  w.as  also,  for  some  years.  Member  of  Parliament  fur  the  City  of  London. 

>■  Mr.  C.  J.  Shaw,  in  his  ChyoiiuU  of  the  La-v  Offia-rs  of  Ii-danJ,  1839,  gives  this  date  as  the  20th  August,  1656,  and 
states  that  he  was  continued  by  I-iichard  Cromwell,  by  patent  dated  at  Westminster,  nth  Oct.  1658,  and  that  he  had  an  order 
by  Richard  the  Protector  to  use  all  the  seals  of  the  late  Protector  until  new  ones  w  ere  engraved, 

^  Likv  Mtin.  rtth.  l/ii\,  vol.  j.  part  ij.  p.   16. 


OLD    SANDBACH   FAMILIES.  19 


establishment,  yet  he  always  declared  his  opinion  to  be,  that  the  Parliament  were  the  only 
proper  judges  in  that  matter  and  used  the  best  of  his  endeavours  that  they  might  be  restored 
to  their  authorit}-." 

At  the  Restoration  he  is  said  to  have  retired  to  Holland  for  a  time,  but  to  have  returned 
to  England  or  Ireland."  He  died  in  September  or  October,  1680,  and  is  said  to  ha\-e  been 
buried  at  St.  Wcrburgh's,  Dublin,  but  this  is  very  improbable.  In  his  will,  dated  17th  Sept. 
1680,  and  proved  in  London,  igth  Oct.  1680,  he  describes  himself  as  of  Gray's  Inn,  but  then  of 
Hatton  Garden,  London.  "  The  character  of  the  Ex-Chancellor  has  been  variously  estimated. 
He  is  described  as  haught\-  and  insolent  by  those  who  disliked  him,  prudent  and  cautious, 
learned  and  able  by  those  who  esteemed  him." '' 

William  Steele  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife,  Elizabeth,  the  eldest  daughter  of 
Richard  Godfrey,  of  Wye,  co.  Kent,  Esq.,  !\I.P.  for  New  Romnc}-,  whom  he  married  at  Elmstcad, 
CO.  Kent,  15th  May,  1638,  he  had  one  son,  Richard  Steele,  who  was  living  in  1680  and  1709,  and 
who,  it  has  been  conjectured,  may  possibly  be  identified  with  the  Richard  Steele,  of  Dublin, 
attorney,  the  father  of  the  celebrated  Sir  Richard  Steele,  the  author.  By  his  second  wife.  Mar}', 
daughter  01  ...  .  Mellish  and  the  widow  of  Michael  Han-ey  (brother  of  Dr.  Harvey,  the 
discoverer  of  the  circulation  of  the  blood),  William  Steele  had  two  sons,  William  and  Benjamin, 
and  two  daughters,  Elizabeth  and  I\Iar\'.  More  details  concerning  this  family  will  be  found  in 
the  pedigree  on  the  next  page.  The  estate  belonging  to  William  Steele  in  Sandbach  is  described 
in  a  fine,  dated  28th  ^larch,  1663,  to  which  he,  Mary,  his  wife,  and  Richard  Steele,  gent.,  were 
parties,  as  5  messuages,  5  cottages,  4  gardens,  4  orchards,  140  acres  of  land,  50  acres  of  meadow, 
160  acres  of  pasture,  and  40  acres  of  moor,  in  Sandbach,  Weston,  and  Chorle}-.  These  lands 
appear  to  have  passed  to  John  Crewe,  Esq.,  and  probably  now  form  part  of  the  Crewe  estate. 
William  Steele,  Esq.,  "  of  London,"  was  a  donor  of  ;^50  to  the  Sandbach  Grammar  School 
before  1706.  Some  articles  belonging  to  the  church  plate,  two  chalices  and  the  patens,  were 
presented,  in  1656,  by  Laurence  Steele,  the  brother  of  the  Lord  Chancellor  (see  postea). 

A  family  of  the  name  of  Welles  held  a  good  position  in  Sandbach  in  the  seventeenth 
and  eighteenth  centuries.  The  earliest  member  of  this  family  connected  with  the  town  is 
Franxis  Welles,  of  Sandbach,  gentleman,  who  was  living  there  in  1664,  and  who  was 
buried  there  24th  Aug.  1695.''  By  his  wife,  Anne,  he  had  a  family  of  five  sons  and  seven 
daughters.  The  eldest  son,  THOMAS  Welles,  M.A.,  wha  was  born  c.  1662-3,  was  Vicar  of 
Sandbach  from  1696  to  1729  {sec  p.  49),  and  also  Rector  of  Mucclcstone,  co.  Stafford.  He 
died  2nd  Jan.  1728-9,  aged  66,  and  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  where  the  monument  now 
on  the  north  wall  of  the  church  was  placed  to  his  memory  {sec  p.  35).  Richard  Welles,  the 
second  son,  baptised  at  Sandbach,  20th  July,  1664,  settled  at  Wigan  in  Lancashire,  where  he 
died  in  1708  without  issue.  He  was  buried  at  Wigan,  where  an  inscription  erected  to  his 
memory  records  the  many  charitable  benefactions  to  Sandbach,  Wigan,  &c.,  left  by  his  will, 
dated  8th  Dec.  1707,  and  proved  at  Chester,  on  the  25th  March,  1708.'^ 

'  He  is  also  said  to  have  secured  his  personal  safety,  and  to  h.ave  made  peace  with  the  Government,  by  betraying  the  secrets 
of  Henry  Cromwell  to  Clarendon  and  Ormonde,  but  it  is  difficult  to  say  what  truth,  if  any,  there  is  in  this  story. 

''  Lives  of  the  Lord  Chancellors  of  Lreland,  by  J.  R.  O'Flanagan,  1S70,  vol.  j.  p.  351,  &c.,  to  which  I  am  also  indebted 
for  some  of  the  facts  noted  in  the  text. 

'  His  will,  dated  24th  April,  1695,  was  proved  at  Chester,  on  the  9th  Oct.  1695.  The  total  of  the  inventory  of  his  effects, 
including  money  out  at  interest,  &c.,  amounted  to  ;^3,867.  12s.  lid.,  a  very  large  sum  at  that  lime.  A  sermon  in  memory  of 
Mr.  Francis  Welles  was  to  be  preached  at  Sandbach  Church  on  the  20th  August  in  each  year,  which  was  the  day  ol  his  decease. 

"  The  inscription,  on  a  mural  tablet,  now  hidden  by  the  organ,  in  Wigan  Church,  is  as  follows  : — 

"To  the  Pious  Memory  |  of  Rich.\rd  Welles  late  of  Wi^an  Gent  |  and  Ellen  his  beloved  wife  \  He  y'^  Son  of 
Fe.  Welles  of  &m/i5<n-/(  in  C/;cV;//Y  Gent   j    She  y=  d.iugbt' of  KoiiT  Le.uhekbarkow  ^-'-AvOTa?;  of  Wigan    \    They  were 

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OLD    SANDBACH    FAMILIES. 


The  Rev.  Thoma.s  Welles,  by  his  wife  Grace,  had  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom 
the  eldest  son,  FRANCIS  Welle.s,  succeeded  to  the  Sandbach  property,  and  was  living  there 
in  173S.  He  was  a  barrister  of  the  Middle  Temple,  London,  but  the  exact  date  of  his  death 
has  not  occurred.  He  was  succeeded  by  JOHN  WELLES,  Esq.,  his  only  son  and  heir,  born 
c.  1740,  who  died  15th  May,  1803,  aged  6},,  and  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  wlierc  the  monu- 
mental inscription  printed  on  p.  ^J  was  placed  to  his  memor)-.  He  also  appears  to  have 
been  a  barrister-at-law,  and,  dying  without  issue,  he,  by  his  will,  dated  26th  Feb.  1798,  and 
proved  at  Chester,  20th  June,  1803,  devised  all  his  lands,  &c.,  at  the  Abbey  (of  Diculacres)  near 
Leek,  CO.  Stafford,  settled  on  his  marriage,  and  all  his  lands  in  Sandbach  to  his  wife,  Anne 
Welles,  for  her  life,  and  then  to  his  sister,  Frances  Furnivall  (the  wife  of  John  Furnivall,  of 
Boswell  Court,  co.  Middlesex,  Esq,),  for  her  life,  and  after  her  decease  to  his  niece,  Frances 
Dorothy  Furnivall,  her  heirs  and  assigns  for  ever.  He  desired  that  his  lands,  &c.,  at  Kingsley" 
and  in  the  parishes  of  Frodsham  and  Weavcrham,  co.  Chester,  should  be  sold  for  the  pa\-ment 
of  his  debts  and  legacies  ;  and  he  left  the  residue  of  his  pcrsonalt)-,  "  including  my  interest 
and  property  in  my  chambers.  Garden  Court,  Temple,  London,"  to  his  said  wife.  She  died 
15th  May,  1813,  aged  61,  and  was  buried  at  Sandbach  [sec  p.  ij). 

Mr.  Francis  Welles  had  three  sisters, — Grace  (who  married  the  Rev.  John  Cartwright,  Vicar 
of  Middlewich  and  Rector  of  St.  Mary's,  Chester),  Anne,  and  Elizabeth.  The  two  latter  lived  at 
Sandbach,  unmarried,  till  1787,  in  which  year  they  both  died.  Miss  Welles  on  the  4th  Januar\-, 
aged  90  years,  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Welles  on  the  21st  June,  aged  86  (see  their  monumental 
inscription,  p.  ^^"j).     The  pedigree  on  the  next  page  traces  this  family  through  four  generations. 

Abbevfield,  in  this  township,  derives  its  name  from  a  field''  which  once  formed  part 
of  the  possessions  of  the  .Abbey  of  Dieulacres,  near  Leek,  in  Staffordshire,  to  whom  the 
advowson  of  the  church  belonged.  In  the  2  Henry  VI.  [1423-4],  Geoffrey  de  Peck  and 
Margery  his  wife  sued  Richard  Hassall  and  Elizabeth  his  wife,  late  wife  of  Richard  dc 
Sondbach,  and  several  other  persons,  members  of  the  Sandbach  family,  for  dower  of  40  acres 
of  land,  20  acres  of  meadow,  20  acres  of  pasture,  and  one  water-mill  in  Hindeheth,-  now 
Hindheath.  This  estate  probably  formed  part  of  that,  described  as  in  Hindheath,  which  was 
purchased  in  1686  by  Ellen,  the  widow  of  William  Ford,  of  Fordgreen,  co.  Stafford,  from 
John   Hassal  and  Edmund  Turner,  of   Covent  Garden,  the  husband  of  Luc}-,  relict  of  John 

both  shining  Examples    |     of  Piety  Charity  &  Hospitality    |    Nor  were  they  less  remarkable  for  Conjugal  Affection    |    and 
mutual  compliances    |     His  Will  was  hers  and  her  Will  was  His    |    Thus  they  joined  in  giving  Organs  &  Oriiam"  to  tliis 
Church    I    Beside  Thirteen  Hundred  Pounds    i    To  other  I'ublick  Pious  Uses    |    She  died  Sept  1707    j    He  died  Mar.  1 70S    | 
This  Monument  of  Her  sincere  Love  &  Respect    |    was  given  by  Mrs.  Bowyer,  Sister  to  Mrs.  Welles    |    Wlio  gave  Her 
House  in  J///4(2/t-   |    'Yo\.\\st\\t3.'\  Schnolmastir  ol  IVigan    \    &  was  interr'd  here    |    Sept  1717." 

In  his  will  Richard  Welles  leaves  the  following  charitable  bequests  :— "  To  the  poor  inhaljitants  of  the  township  of  Sandbach 
;f200,  the  yearly  improvement  thereof  to  be  distributed  by  the  churchwardens  of  the  parish  of  Sandbach  upon  the  feast-day  of 
St.  Thomas  the  Apostle.  Item  I  give  and  bequeath  the  sum  of  ;^ioo  for  the  use  of  the  ffree  school  in  Sandbach.  To  the 
incumbent  of  Middlewich  Church  the  improvement  of  ;^lco  to  be  p.aid  to  him  and  his  successors  for  ever.  The  like  sum  to  the 
Chapel  of  Church  Hulme  in  the  parish  of  S.indbach  and  to  the  Chapel  of  Goostree  in  the  same  parish,  the  interest  to  the 
incumbents  and  their  successors  for  ever.  The  like  sum  to  the  Chapels  of  Billing,  Hindley  and  Rainford,  (all  in  co.  Lancaster) 
for  the  same  uses.  Item  I  give  and  bequeath  the  sum  of  £200  for  buying  organs  for  the  use  of  the  parish  church  of  Wigan. 
Item  I  give  and  bequeath  the  improvement  of  /'loo  to  be  paid  yearly  to  the  Reader  of  Publick  Prayers  in  the  said  parish  church. 
Item  I  give  and  bequeath  /200  either  to  be  made  use  of  towards  employing  the  Poor  of  Wigan  or  the  improvement  thereof  to  put 
Boys  to  apprentice  yearly,  and  I  will  that  the  said  sums  be  paid  or  secured  within  one  whole  year  after  my  decease.  I  request 
Lawrence  Booth,  of  Twemlow,  Esq.,  John  Parker,  of  Middlewich,  gent.,  John  Markland  and  W™  Holland,  of  Wigan,  gents., 
to  take  care  the  above  said  sums  be  we'll  secured  for  the  uses  abovesaid  and  e.ach  of  them  to  h.ave  £•-,  for  his  trouble." 

■^  These  Lands  in  Kingsley  are  mentioned  in  the  will  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Welles,  made  3rd  Dec.  172S,  to  whom  they  seem 
to  have  come  by  marriage.     He  also  had  lands  in  Acton. 

'  It  is  said  to  be  called  in  old  deeds  the  Abbot's  Field,  and  at  the  dissolution  of  the  monasteries  was  held  by  an  old  rent  of 
£\.  4s.  6d.     The  house  here  was  called  field  House. 

B  Cheshire  Plea  Rolls.  The  other  persons  sued  were  Richard  Hassall  and  Elizabeth  his  wife,  Nicholas  de  Moldeworth  and 
Margaret  his  wife,  and  John  de  Berynton  and  Agnes  his  wife,  for  dower  in  the  same  premises.  i^See  the  Sandbach  pedigree,  p.  5.) 


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OLD   SANDBACH   FAMILIES.  23 


Crewe,  of  Crewe,  Esq.,  to  whom  it  had  been  mortgaged.  Thi.s  estate  passed  to  Mrs.  Ford's 
third  son,  Andrew  Ford,  who  was  the  ancestor  of  the  family  of  FORD,  which  was  seated 
here  for  several  generations,  and  of  whom  a  very  full  pedigree  is  printed  in  Ormerod's  History 
of  Chcsliirey  The  estate,  which  was  added  to  by  purchases  at  various  times,  was  sold, 
27th  Nov.  1872,  to  Robert  Heath,  Esq.,  of  Newcastlc-undcr-L}-mc,  the  present  owner.  The 
house  was  rebuilt  in  the  early  part  of  this  century  by  John  Ford,  Esq.,  popularly  known 
as  Colonel  Ford,  from  his  having  been  principally  instrumental  in  raising  the  Manchester 
and  Salford  Light  Horse  Volunteers,  of  which  he  was  Lieut.-Colonel  Commandant.'  When 
the  regiment  was  disbanded  in  1802,  he  was  presented  with  a  very  handsome  goblet  by  his 
regiment,  and  a  medal  bearing  an  inscription,  "  as  a  testimony  of  gratitude  from  his  Fellow- 
Townsmen  for  spirited  and  patriotic  services. "J  In  1803,  he,  in  conjunction  with  Randle 
Wilbraham,  of  Rode,  Esq.,  raised  a  corps  of  Volunteers  in  Sandbach  and  Rode,  of  which 
he  was  also  Lieut.-Colonel  Commandant,  and  Randle  Wilbraham,  Esq.,  was  Major,  their 
appointments  bearing  date  20th  Aug.  1803.  The  other  officers  of  the  S.^NDBACH  AND  RODE 
Volunteers  in  1804  were  as  follows: — Major — Weston  Bayley,  appointed  27th  Sept.  1803; 
Captains — William  Watkis,  Walter  Daniel,  John  Cartwright,  John  Twiss,  John  Morris, 
John  Wilson  ;  Lieutenants — John  Miller,  Samuel  Swan,  John  Lockett,  Charles  Hilditch,  John 
Twemlow,  Richard  Latham,  Daniel  Galley,  John  Furnivall  ;  E)isigns—^\\Y\-a.n\  Done,  William 
Penlington,  Thomas  Podmore,  James  Colclough;  Cliaplain — Richard  Lowndes  Salmon  [Vicar  of 
Sandbach];  Paymaster — James  Colclough;  and  Surgeon — Peter  Mathias,  all  appointed  27th  Sept. 
1803.  The  regiment  consisted  of  six  companies,  comprising  360  men  in  all."'  Colonel  Ford  died 
at  Abbeyfield,  on  the  14th  April,  1839,  aged  72,  and  was  buried  at  Sandbach  (sec  p.  34). 

LiGHTLEY  Hill,  in  this  township,  belonged  in  the  seventeenth  century  to  a  family  of 
the  name  of  Walley.'  Hugh  Walley,  the  elder,  who  died  before  1693,  had  a  son  and  heir, 
Richard  Walley,  who  was  dead  in  1703,  leaving  three  daughters  his  co-heirs.  These  were 
Margaret,  who  married  John  Skerratt,  of  Sandbach  ;  Hannah,  who  married,  firstl)-,  W^illiam 
Hassall,  of  Elton,  and,  secondly,  John  Acton,  of  Warmincham  ;  and  Sarah,  who  married 
Matthew  Parratt,  of  Alsager.™  This  estate,  or  the  greater  part  of  it,  ultimately  passed  into  the 
possession  of  the  Parratt,  or  Parrott  famil)-,  and  on  the  death  of  the  above-named  Matthew 
Parrott,  in  1722,  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son  and  heir,  Matthew  Parrott,  who  died  in  1737." 
His  two  sons,  John  Parrott,  of  Lightly  Hill,  gentleman,  and  Thomas  Parrott,  of  the  same  place, 
gentleman,  both  died  without  issue,  and  the  estate  passed  to  their  nephews  and  nieces,  the  children 
of  John  Hilditch,  of  Wheelock  Hall,  who  had  married  their  sister."  It  subsequently  belonged  to 
the  family  of  Cartwright,  of  Sandbach  and  Middlewich,  and  was  purchased  in  1788  from 
John  Cartwright,  Esq.,  by  George  and  Thomas  Twemlow,  Esqs.,  in  equal  shares.  These  two 
shares  passed  to  the  eldest  son  of  the  latter,  Thomas  Twemlow,  Esq.,  and  the  estate  now 
belongs  to  Thomas  Fletcher  Twemlow,  of  Betley  Court,  co.  Stafford,  Esq.  It  is  now  known 
as  the  Hill.     There  is  a  good  old-fashioned  house  on  the  estate. 

•■  New  edition,  vul.  iii.  pp.  101-2.  '  See  Local  Gkanings,  quarto  series,  p.  22,  &c.,  for  a  list  of  tlie  other  officers,  &c. 

1  See  Local  Gl!.'aniH,i;s,  quarto  series,  p.  68,  a  communication  from  the  Rev.  Fredericlc  Forde,  his  son.  Col.  Ford  lived  in 
Manchester,  in  a  house  in  King-slreet,  on  the  site  of  the  present  Reform  Club.  He  also  built  Claremont  House,  near  Man- 
chester, as  his  country  residence.  ''  From  the  official  Government  returns,  printed  in  1805. 

'  Hugh  Walley,  of  Sandbach,  will  proved  at  Chester  in  1598  ;  Flugh  Walley,  of  Sandbach,  administration  granted  1647. 

"  From  the  Cartwright  deeds  kindly  lent  to  me  by  J.  M.  Toler,  Esq.,  Saltcrsford  Hall,  Holmes  Chapel. 

"  .See  the  inscriptions  on  their  tombstones  on  p.  42. 

"  I  have  rough  pedigrees  of  the  families  of  Walley  and  Parrott  based  on  deeds,  wills,  &.C, 


24 


SANDBACH. 


C|)r  Cfjurrl)- 


'(•TaSBscssa^f J 1  ■ ' -  church,  which  is  clcch'catccl  to  St.  Alar)-,  has  a  somewhat  interesting  history. 
gj^^  ES^i  As  ah-ead)'  noted,  it  is  mentioned  in  the  Domesday  Sur\e}-,  taken  c.  1086,  when 
Sandbach  is  stated  to  possess  "  a  priest  and  a  church."  The  advowson  of  the 
church  appears  to  have  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Pearls  of  Chester,  and  did 
not,  as  was  customary,  belong  to  the  manor,  which,  as  ah'eady  shown,  was  held 
by  the  lord  of  Aldford.  The  earliest  recorded  rector  is  "  Steinulf  the  priest," 
who,  as  will  be  subsequently  shown,  was  presented  to  the  church  by  Randle,  Earl  of  Chester, 
who  died  in  11 28.  On  the  death  of  Steinulf,  Randle  de  Meschines,  Earl  of  Chester  (who  died 
in  1 1 53),  presented  Randle  de  Lech,  and  he  held  the  living  for  forty  years.  This  Randle  de 
Meschines  had  a  dispute  with  the  lord  of  Aldford  respecting  the  advowson,  but  the  latter 
quitclaimed  his  right,  or  alleged  right,  to  it  in  favour  of  the  Earl.  B}-  a  grant  made  between 
1229  and  1232,  Randle  de  Blundeville,  Earl  of  Chester,  granted  the  adv'owson  to  the  Abbey 
of  Dieulacres,''  near  Leek,  in  Staffordshire,  and  Sandbach  was  henceforth  a  Vicarage,  and  no 
longer  a  Rectory,  the  great  tithes  of  the  parish  going  to  the  .Vbbey  and  the  smaller  tithes 
only  to  the  Vicar. 

In  the  38th  Henry  III.  1253,  a  very  important  trial  took  place  regarding  the  advowson  of 
this  church.  Roger  de  Sandbach,  lord  of  Sandbach  (under  Sir  Walkelyn  de  Arderne,  the  chief 
lord  of  Aldford  Fee),  claimed  it  as  belonging  to  the  manor  of  Sandbach,  as  against  the  Abbot 
of  Dieulacres.  A  claim  was  also  made  on  behalf  of  the  Crown,  in  which  the  Earldom  of 
Chester  was  then  vested.  The  Abbot  appeared  in  the  full  Court  at  Chester  before  Sir  Alan 
la  Zuche,  Justiciary  of  Chester,  the  Abbot  of  St.  W'erburgh  at  Chester,  Geoffrey  de  Dutton,  the 
seneschal  of  Halton,  I-'ulk  de  Orreb\-,  William  de  Boidele,  Thomas  de  Menegarin  [Mainwaring], 
Randle  le  Roter,  and  other  barons,  knights,  and  free-tenants  of  the  King  as  of  his  Earldom  of 
Chester.''  The  Abbot  pleaded  an  enrollment  in  the  Clicshirc  Domesday  Roll,  which  admitted 
the  right  of  Randle  II.,  Earl  of  Chester,  to  present,  and  also  produced  the  grant  of  the  advowson 
to  the  Abbey,  by  his  successor,  Randle  III.  Eulk  de  Orrcby  put  in  a  claim  for  the  Crown, 
and  Roger  de  Sandbach  objected  to  the  validity  of  the  charter  and  to  the  enrollment,  stating 
"  that  the  said  Earl  Randle  in  his  time  was  so  powerful  in  Cheshire,  as  prince  of  the  district, 
that  he  could  at  will  make  inquisitions  and  precepts  and  ha\'e  what  he  pleased  enrolled  in  [the 
Cheshire]  Domesday,  then  in  the  custody  of  himself  and  his  clerks."  Judgment  was  given  in 
favour  of  Roger  de  Sandbach,  which  the  Abbot  refused  to  accept.  The  claim  on  behalf  of  the 
Crown  being  renewed,  an  inquisition  on  a  writ  of  last  presentation  was  taken,  and  the  jury 
found  that  .  .  .  .  de  Sandbach,  grandfather  of  Roger,  had  presented  the  last  rector,  now- 
deceased.     The  advowson  w-as  then  formally  adjudged  to  belong  to  the  said  Roger. 

The  Abbot  then  appealed  from  the  Earl's  Palatine  Court  to  the  King's  Council,  and  the 
Justiciary  of  Chester  was  commanded  to  transmit  a  certified  cojiy  of  the   proceedings  in  the 

'  So  called  from  the  Norni.-m  French,  Dicu  tcmrcs,  God  will  bless  it. 

''  This  is  taken  from  the  account  drawn  up  by  Mr.  Ormerod  in  the  Introductory  Memoir  to  his  description  of  the  Cheshiic 
Domesday  Roll,  privately  printed  in  1S51. 


THE   CHURCH.  25 


Earl's  Court,  and  also  to  send  a  copy  of  the  enrolment,  entered  on  the  Cheshire  Domesday 
Roll.     This  enrolment  was  as  follows  (translated) '': — 

In  the  fourth  year  of  the  Translation  of  S*-  Thomas  the  Martyr  [7  July,  1223,  to  6  July,  I224]''  a 
contention  arose  between  the  Lord  Randle,  Earl  of  Chester  and  Lincoln  and  Richard  de  Sandbache, 
respecting  the  advowson  of  Sandbache  church,  so  that  16  free  and  lawful  men  of  the  vicinage  of 
Sandbache  were  chosen  to  make  recognizance  thereof  on  oath  and  these  were  the  jurors,  Robert  de 
Pulford,  Jocerin  de  j^Hellesby,  Richard  de  Kingsley,  Peter  de  Swetenham,  Randle  de  Praers,  Randle  de 
Alsacher,  William  de  Somerford,  Elias  de  Swetenham,  Gilbert  de  Tabley,  John  de  Alveston,  Matthew 
de  Hulgreve,  Hamo  Brito,  Simon  de  Holt,  Robert  de  Rode,  Philip  de  Bruera,  Randle  de  Arkled  [Arclid]. 
This  assize  coming  into  the  court  of  the  Lord  Randle,  Earl  of  Chester  and  Lincoln,  before  Randle 
the  Earl  and  Philip  de  Orreby,  then  Justiciary  of  Chester,  Roger  de  Montalt,  Seneschal  of  Chester, 
William  de  Venables,  Warren  (Guarin)  de  Vernon  and  others,  barons,  knights  and  faithful  people  of  the 
said  Earl,  they  declared  on  oath, 

That  the  advowson  of  the  said  church  of  Sandbache  belonged  to  the  said  Earl  and  that  Randle 
Meschines,  the  great-grandfather  of  the  said  Earl  Randle,  gave  it  to  Steinulf  the  priest ;  that  afterwards, 
on  the  death  of  Steinulf,  Randle  the  Earl,  heir  of  the  aforesaid  Randle  Meschines,  and  grandfather  of  the 
Lord  Randle,  Earl  of  Chester  and  Lincoln,  often  before  mentioned,  gave  the  same  church  of  Sandbach 
to  Randle  de  Lech  and  he  held  it  peaceably  and  without  opposition,  forty  years. 

They  also  declared  that  in  the  time  of  Randle,  grandfather  ot  our  lord  Randle,  Earl  of  Chester  and 
Lincoln,  there  was  discord  between  him  and  the  lord  of  Aldford,  which  was  pacified  by  a  quitclaim  on 
the  part  of  the  lord  of  Aldford,  from  himself  and  his  heirs  to  the  lord  Randle  the  Earl  and  his  heirs,  of 
the  advowson  of  the  church  of  Sandbache  and  that  of  S'.  Bridget  in  Chester.  And  that  this  may  be 
handed  down  to  perpetual  memory  it  is  decreed  that  it  should  be  here  enrolled. 

The  trial  on  appeal  coming  before  the  four  judges, — Henry  de  Bath,  Henry  de  Bracton 
(the  celebrated  Justice  itinerant),  Henry  de  la  Marc,  and  Nicholas  de  Tanc, — the  following 
decision  was  given  in  the  octaves  of  the  feast  of  St.  Hilary  [13th  January],  38  Henry  HL 
1254,  in  the  King's  Council, 

"  That  because  proof  has  been  given  by  the  Domesday  of  Chester,  which  has  perpetual 
validity,  all  contained  therein  being  stable  for  ever,  that  liarl  Randle  of  Chester  had  justified 
his  right  in  the  advowson  of  the  aforesaid  church  against  Richard  de  Sandbache  ;  that  this  Earl 
gave  to  God  and  to  the  church  of  Dieulacres  the  said  advowson  ;  that  the  church  has  never 
been  vacant  since  the  time  when  this  Earl  justified  his  right  to  the  said  advowson  ;  and  that  no 
one  has  presented  to  it  from  that  time  to  this.  It  is  decided  that  the  Abbot  of  Dieulacres,  to 
whom  the  Earl,  who  has  justified  his  right  in  the  advowson  thereof,  gave  the  same,  should 
recover  his  seisin,  and  that  the  Justiciary  of  Chester  should  send  the  King's  letters  to  the 
Bishop,  directing  him  to  admit  a  fit  person  thereto,  on  the  presentation  of  the  Abbot." 

This  decision  was  confirmed  by  the  King's  letters  patent,  dated  at  Reading,  8th  May, 
39  Henry  HL  1255,  and  in  the  following  year  Roger  de  Sandbach  transferred  all  his  claim  to 
the  advowson  by  a  deed  of  much  interest,  dated  20th  July,  1256,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
translation  ■= : — 

To  all  faithful  persons  in  Christ,  who  shall  see  or  hear  this  present  writing,  Roger,  lord  of  Sondbach, 
sends  gi-eeting  in  the  Lord.     Be  it  known  to  all  that  I   have  remitted  and  for  ever  quitclaimed,  for 

■=  A  few  n,imes  h.ive  been  slightly  modernised.     TIius,  Sandbache  for  Santbache,  as  it  is  written,  Kingsley  for  Kingsle,  &c. 

^  The  date  of  the  translation  of  St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury  (Thomas  a  Becket)  was  the  7th  July,  1220,  so  that  the  fourth 
year  would  be  from  the  7th  July,  1223,  to  the  6th  July,  1224. 

<■  This  deed  is  recited  in  full  in  the  subsequent  quitclaim  of  "  Richard  lord  of  Sondbach,  son  and  heir  of  Ro"er  de  Sond- 
bach," dated  1280  (John  Booth's  MS.  Collections^  liber  K,  f.  45), 


:26  SANDBACH. 


me  and  my  heirs,  for  ever,  to  ibe  lord  Abbot  and  the  Convent  of  Dieulacres,  and  their  successors, 
all  my  right  and  claim,  which  I  have  or  may  have  to  the  advowson  of  the  church  of  Sondbach, 
with  its  apiiurtenances,  without  retaining  anything,  except  the  foreign  service  of  the  two  bovates  oi 
land,  which  Richard  de  Sondbach  gave  to  the  said  church.  To  have  and  to  hold  to  the  said  Abbot 
and  Convent,  and  their  successors,  in  pure  and  free  and  perpetual  alms,  without  any  reserve,  of  me 
and  my  heirs,  for  ever.  .So  that  namely  neither  I  the  said  Roger,  nor  my  heirs,  nor  any  one  in  our 
name,  may  be  able  to  exact  anything  as  of  right  or  claim,  in  the  advowson  of  the  said  church,  with 
its  appurtenances. 

I  have  also  conceded  to  the  said  Abbot  and  Convent,  and  their  successors,  that  they  may  have 
housebote  and  haylxite^  in  my  woods  of  Sondbach  as  the  other  Rectors  (u'/t'r/ Jicr/i>r')  who  first  held 
the  said  church,  and  which  in  the  name  of  the  parson  [or  rector]  (//ii/c  ^soif)  they  were  accustomed  to 
have,  saving  my  aeries  of  hawks  {acris  iisfuarior  wivr)  according  to  the  custom  in  the  time  of  the  previous 
rectors  of  the  said  church.  It  is  also  agreed  between  me  and  the  said  Abbot  and  Convent,  that  they 
may  have  common  of  pasture  in  my  fee  of  Sondbach,  in  all  the  places,  where  the  rectors  of  the  said  church 
were  accustomed,  viz.  for  40  cattle,  40  swine  and  140  sheep  (g/vss/s  averiis  qiiadragint^  et  quadraginf 
ponii  if  140  I'iiicii/ipiis)  and  no  more.  So  that  nevertheless  it  shall  be  lawful  for  me  and  my  heirs 
to  make  my  [jrofit  {coiiimoduiii  />ici)  of  my  wood,  without  hindrance  and  impediment  from  the  said 
Abbot  and  Convent,  saving  to  the  said  Abbot  and  Convent,  free  entrance  and  e.xit  and  sufficient  pasture 
for  the  above  named  animals,  and  also  the  said  Abbot  and  Convent  shall  take  away  their  tithes  of  calves, 
sheep,  pigs  and  fowls  beyond  the  said  numbers,  within  three  weeks  from  the  day  of  receiving  them. 
For  the  which  agreement  remission  and  quitclaim,  the  said  Abbot  and  Convent  have  given  me 
100  marks  sterling. 

And  that  this  my  concession  may  have  strength  for  ever,  I  have  strengthened  this  my  writing  with 
my  seal,  these  being  witnesses  Sir  {d/~io)  Edward  de  Lacy,  Sir  {dno)  John  son  of  Geoffrey,  Sir  {d/w)  Roger 
de  Montalt,  Seneschal  of  Chester,  Sir  {dini)  W  .  .  .  .  de  "Wilton,  Sir  {di'/o)  Michael  de  ffieules,  Sir  {d/io) 
Geoffrey  de  Langb',  Sir  [d/'io)  Gilbert  'I'albot  then  Justiciary  of  Chester,  Sir  {d/lo)  Cd.  de  Maymvaring, 
Sir  {duo)  Roger  de  ^'enables,  Sir  [di'io)  Thomas  de  Dutton,  Thomas  de  Orreby  and  many  others.  Given 
at  Chester,  the  40"'  year  of  the  reign  of  the  King  Henry,  son  of  John  [1256]  the  13"'  of  the  Kalends 
of  August  [20th  July].s 

The  great  importance  of  the  abo\c  charter  (here  printed  for  the  first  time)  is  shown 
by  the  number  and  rank  of  the  attesting  witnesses.  Some  t^\•ent)•-folu•  years  later,  by  a  deed 
made  at  Sandbach  in  the  feast  of  the  Nativity  of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary  [8th  Sept.]  1280, 
PJchard,  lord  of  Sandbach,  son  and  heir  of  Roger  de  Sandbach,  acknowledges  to  have  seen 
the  above  deed  of  his  father,  and  confirms  his  father's  grant  to  the  said  Abbot  and  Convent. 
This  confirmation  is  witnessed  by  Sir  (dno)  Guecelin  de  Baddlesmere,  then  Justiciary  of 
Chester  ;  the  lords  {dfiis)  Simon,  then  Abbot  of  Chester  ;  and  Robert,  then  Abbot  of  Stanlow  ; 
Sir  (duo)  Thomas  dc  ]\Iaynwaring  ;  Sir  {dno)  William  de  Venables ;  Sir  {duo)  Peter  dc 
Ardernc  ;  Sir  {duo)  Ilamo  de  Mascy  ;  Sir  {di'io)  Roger  dc  Boydcll ;  William  de  Hawardyn, 
then  .Sheriff  of  Cheshire  ;  and  others. 

Jhe  advowson  thus  secured,  after  so  much  litigation  and  trouble,  remained  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Abbey  of  Dieulacres  till  the  Dissolution  of  the  Monasteries  in  1537,  when  it 
was  seised  by  the  Crown.  The  impropriate  rectory  "of  Sandebage  alias  Sambagc  alias 
Sambachc,  late  in  the  occupation  of  John  Broughton,''   was  granted  by  letters  patent,  dated 

'  Thnt  is,  wood  fur  liuusthold  purposes,  and  for  making  and  repairing  liedges  (haia). 

'-■  In  Hull.  MS.  2,074,  f-  '94''>  tli<J  'kite  of  this  deed  has  been  mis-copied,  10"'  of  the  K.\lcnds  of  August  [23rd  July], 
43"'  Ileiiiy  III.  [1259].  instead  of  13"'  of  the  Kalends  of  .Vugust  40"'  Henry  III. 


THE   CHURCH. 


31st  August,  41  Elizabeth  [1599],  to  William  Typpcr  and  Richard  Cartwright,  both  of  London, 
gentlemen.  It  has  since  that  time  been  divided  into  various  shares.  In  1705  the  principal 
improprietors,  who  had  whole  townships,  were  Mrs.  Anne  Crew  Offle\-,  of  Crew  ;  William 
Oldfield,  of  Bradwall,  Esq. ;  Lawrence  Booth,  of  Twemlow,  Esq. ;  John  Ameson,  of  the  Leighs, 
gent.,  and  John  Wright, of  Sandbach,  gent.''  In  1817  they  were  as  follows: — In  Sandbach, 
Lord  Crewe;  in  Bradwall,  John  Latham,  M.D.,  and  William  Chesworth ;  in  Betchton,  George 
Wilbraham,  Esq.  ;  in  Hassal  and  Whcelock,  the  Rev.  R.  L.  Salmon :  and  in  Arclid,  the 
Rev.  W.  M.  Moreton.' 

The  advowson  of  the  \'icarage  of  Sandbach  was  granted  b}-  the  Crown,  9th  June, 
3  and  4  Philip  and  Mar}-  [1557],  to  Richard  Wilbraham  and  Thomas  Wilbraham,  of  Woodhe\-, 
Esqs.,  for  ever,  to  be  held  by  the  one-fortieth  part  of  one  knight's/ec  for  all  scrviccs.J  This 
Richard  Wilbraham,  of  Woodhcy,  Esq.,  was  master  of  the  Jewel  House  and  of  the  Revels 
to  Queen  Mary,  and  also  represented  Cheshire  in  Parliament  from  1553  to  1556.  In  his  will, 
dated  25th  July,  1558,'^  he  thus  refers  to  the  Vicarage  of  Sandbach  :  — 

"  Item  whereas  I  have  purch.ised  to  me  and  my  heirs  ye  vicorage  of  .Sandebache  and  all  ye  tiethes 
oblacions  &c  to  ye  vicorage  belongyng  together  with  ye  nomynacion  presentacion  and  donacion  of  ye 
same  vicorage  I  do  acknowledge  that  I  bought  ye  same  vicorage  tiethes  (S;c  to  ye  use  of  my  nephew 
William  Liversage  and  payed  for  ye  same  with  yiy^  [^20]  of  his  which  of  him  I  receved  for  ye  same 
purpose  as  I  remember  I  saved  hym  of  ye  sayd  x.\'',  v"  [^5].  In  consideracion  whereof  I  geve  &c 
ye  sayd  vicorage  of  .Sandbache  and  all  ye  tiethes  &c  to  ye  sayd  William  Liversage  and  to  the  heires 
of  his  bodie  lawfully  begotten  and  for  defaulte  &c  I  will,  geve  S:c  ye  remainder  thereof  to  ye  heirs  of  ye 
bodie  of  Rauff  Liversage  esquire,  deceased,  father  of  ye  said  William,  lawfully  begotten  and  for  defaulte 
&c  I  will,  geve  &c  the  remainder  thereof  to  Thomas  Wilbraham,  my  son  and  heir  apparent,  and  to  his 
heires  and  assignes  for  ever,  &c.  Item  I  will  further  that  myne  executors  repaye  to  him  ye  said  somme 
of  v"  which  I  saved  unto  him  as  beforesayd.'' 

This  is  also  referred  to  in  his  Inquisition  post  iiiortciii  taken  at  Tarporlcy,  13th  January, 
1559,  in  which  his  will  is  quoted  in  fidl. 

The  advowson  has  since  passed  through  many  hands,  as  shown  by  the  names  of  those 
who  have  presented  to  the  living.  It  is  now  the  property  of  the  Rev.  J.  R.  Armitstead, 
the  present  Vicar.  The  gross  value  of  the  living  is  now  about  ^1,200  per  annum.  The 
vicarial  tithes  were  commuted  about  the  year  1S39. 

The  present  ClIURCH,  which  was  entirely  rebuilt  in  the  years  1S47-48-49,  stands  on  the 
site  of  the  older  one,  to  the  east  of  the  Market-place,  on  high  ground  above  the  river  Wheelock. 
No  full  architectural  description  of  the  OLD  CHURCH  is  known  to  me,  nor  have  I  been  able  to 
hear  of  any  accurate  sketches  of  either  the  exterior  or  interior.  It  is  described  in  1817'  as 
consisting  of  "  a  handsome  tower,  nave,  chancel  and  side  aisles,  v.'hich  terminate  in  two  smaller 
chancels,  belonging  to  the  manor  of  Wheelock  and  the  Hall  of  Bradwall  ;  the  whole  is  built 
of  red  [sandjstone,  and  handsomely  finished  in  the  obtusely  pointed  [i.e.,  late  Perpendicular] 
style.     The  nave  and  side  aisles  have  richly-carved  roofs  of  oak,  erected  in  1661,  as  mentioned 

^  Xotitia  Parochia,  1705,  Lambeth  Librarj-,  quoted  in  Kolilia  Ccstn'ensis  (Cheth,  Soc),  p.  253-5,  notes. 

'  Ormerod's  History  of  Cheshire,  old  edition. 

J  Harl.  MS.,  2,074,  f-  195- 

''  VnnitAm  Lancashire  and  Cheshir'.  ^/V/A  (Cheth.  Soc),  vol.  i.  p, 

'  Omerod's  History  0/  Cheshire,  old  edition. 

K    2 


28  SANDBACH. 


in  an  inscription:  'Thomas  Broome  carpenter.'"'  The  interior  effect  is  somewhat  injured  by 
the  nave  bcini;'  too  narrow  in  proportion  to  its  licight."  In  the  accounts  of  the  rc-opening  of 
the  church,"  it  is  stated  that  the  old  church  was  built  "  of  a  friable  and  perishable  sandstone  like 
so  many  of  the  Cheshire  churches.  The  whole  buildinp;,  north,  south,  and  west,  was  crowded 
with  galleries,  the  capitals  of  the  pillars  had  been  cut  away  and  the  windows  blocked  up,  and 
in  the  side  galleries  there  was  little  room  to  stand  upright.  The  roof  was  found  to  be  insecure 
and  the  Tower  was  also  found  to  be  in  a  very  dangerous  state.  The  Tower,  which  was  a  \cry 
fine  one,  presented  the  peculiar  features  of  open  arches,  upon  which  it  rested  and  was  beautifully 
proportioned." 

During  the  rebuilding,  a  few  remains  of  an  earlier  church  were  met  with.  These  fragments 
are  now  preserved  in  the  vestr\-.  The  architect,  the  late  Sir  Gilbert  Scott,  rebuilt  the  church  as 
far  as  possible  like  the  old  one,  with  the  exception  that  36  feet  were  added  to  the  chancel,  and 
the  north  and  south  aisles  were  extended  to  nearly  the  length  of  the  chancel.  The  old  oak 
ceiling  was  restored,  but,  instead  of  the  high  pulpit  which  originally  blocked  up  the  middle 
aisle,  a  new  one  on  a  stone  pedestal  was  placed  on  the  north  side  of  the  chancel  arch,  and  the 
old,  irregular  oak  pews  were  replaced  by  open  benches.  The  Tower  was  taken  down  and 
rebuilt  at  a  cost  of  very  nearly  ;£'2,ooo,  raised  by  a  local  rate.  Like  its  predecessor,  it  has 
open  arches  and  massi\-c  buttresses,  and  is  surmounted  by  finely-carved  pinnacles.  The  total 
cost  of  the  restoration  was  ;^7,000. 

The  pres1':nt  Church  consists  of  a  na\-e,  with  two  side  aisles,  and  a  chancel,  with  two 
side  chapels,  at  the  end  of  the  north  and  south  aisle  respectively,  extending  nearl)-  the  full 
length  of  the  chancel.  The  na\-c  is  separated  from  the  side  aisles  by  seven  pointed  arches, 
and  the  chancel  from  the  side  chapels  by  two  similar  ones.  Between  the  na\'e  and  the 
chancel  is  a  wooden  chancel  screen  richly  carved,  and  there  are  high  carved  wooden  screens 
between  the  chancel  and  the  side  chapels.  There  are  sixteen  seats  in  the  chancel.  On  each 
side  of  the  walls  of  the  chancel,  on  the  stone  of  the  walls,  the  various  charitable  bequests  made 
to  the  town  and  parish  arc  carved.  The  roofs  arc  of  oak,  in  imitation  of  the  old  ones. 
The  \estry  is  on  the  north  side,  and  there  is  a  porch  on  the  south  side  towards  which  Miss 
Sibson,  of  Sandbach,  gave  ^250,  and  Sir  P.  de  M.  Grey  Egerton,  of  Oulton,  the  stone.  There 
is  an  organ-loft  at  the  west  end. 

Little  is  now  known  of  the  Chantries  and  Altars,  which  existed  in  the  old  church. 
The  eastern  ends  of  both  the  north  and  south  aisles  were  private  chapels,  the  former  belonging 
to  the  manor  of  Wheelock,  and  the  latter  to  the  manor  of  Bradwall,  but  the  names  of  the  saints 
to  whom  these  chapels  were  respectively  dedicated  have  not  occurred.  At  the  time  of  the 
dissolution  of  the  monasteries,  or  rather  just  prior  to  that  date,  c.  1533-4,  at  a  Visitation  of  the 
Bishop  of  Chester,  it  was  returned  that  the  following  priests  were  serving  in  the  parish  of 
"  Sonbage  "":  Sir  (df/s)  Ricard  Rudiarte,  on  a  stipend  paid  by  the  Vicar  there  [he  was  probably 
the  Curate  at  that  time];  Sir  (^//}j)  William  Mcrton.on  a  stipend  paid  by  Alexander  Hulse ;  Sir 
{dns)  James  Broke,  on  a  stipend  paid  by  the  Vicar  there  [he  was  serving  the  cure  of  Goostrc}-]  ; 
and  Sir  {dris)  Henry  Sutton,  at  Hulme  [i.e.,  Holmes  Chapel].  A  few  years  later,  c.  1548,  at 
another  Visitation,  the   return   of  the   clergy  of  "  Sonbage"  is  as  follows" :— Sir  (<■/;«)    Thomas 

'"  This  is  a  curious  mistake.  The  pieces  of  wood  from  tlie  roof  containing  this  name  and  date  are  now  framed  in  the  vestry, 
and  the  inscription  reads:  "John  Broome  and  Thomas  Broome  Churchwardens  Ano  Domi  l66l,''  all  in  capitals.  Some 
repairs  were  probably  made  to  the  roof  in  that  year. 

"  Macclesfield  Coiiric-,  14th  July,  1S49. 

"  Erom  a  thick  folio  volume  in  the  Bishop's  Registry  at  Chester,  portions  of  whi  ;h  have  been  copied  into  the  Piccope 
MSS.,  \ol.  X.,  in  the  Chetham  Library,  Manchester. 


THE   CHURCH. 


Smyth,  Vicar  ;  Sir  (dr/s)  Richard  Rudiarte,  Curate;  Sir  (d/ls)  James  Broke,  and  Sir  (d/ls)  Henry 
Sutton. I' 

It  will  be  noticed  that  in  these  returns  there  is  no  mention  of  any  priests  serving  at  the 
chantry  chapels  above  referred  to,  belonging  to  the  Wheclock  and  Bradwall  estates ;  although 
there  is  no  doubt  that  such  chantry  chapels  existed  there,  and  that  there  were  altars  at  the 
east  end  of  these  chapels,  where  divine  service  was  said.  There  is  also  no  mention  of  them  on 
the  Cheshire  Chantry  Roll.  In  i  5S7,  William  Leversage,  of  Wheelock,  Esq.,  had  a  confirmation 
of  his  right  to  his  chapel  in  Sandbach  Church  from  William  Chadderton,  Bishop  of  Chester, 
and  this  right  was  again  confirmed  by  George  Lloyd,  Bishop  of  Chester,  in  1610,  as  follows I: — 

George  by  God's  providence  "  Bushoppe  of  Chester."  \\'hereas  \\'illiam  Leversage  of  Wheelock, 
CO.  Chester,  esquire  hath  alledged  before  us  that  a  certaine  Chappell,  Oratorie,  parclose  or  North  He 
upon  the  North  part  or  rather  upon  the  North  side  of  the  Chancell  of  the  parish  church  of  Sandbach, 
extending  itself  in  length  over  against  or  with  the  said  Chancell  of  the  said  church  of  Sandbach,  24  foot 
and  II  inches  and  in  breadth  to  the  upper  part  of  the  said  North  He  17  foot,  in  which  Chappell  the  lords 
and  owners  of  the  said  manor  and  capital  house  of  Wheelock  aforesaid,  have  since  the  erection  of  the 
said  Chappell  or  Oratorie,  time  past  beyond  memorie  of  man,  used  to  sit,  kneel  or  stand  at  time  of  divine 
service  and  also  to  bury  their  dead  in  the  same  Chappell,  and  that  William,  Bishop  of  Chester,  on  the 
7"'  day  of  July  1587  did  confirme  the  said  Chappell  to  the  said 
William  Leversage  and  his  heirs.  We  do  by  these  presents  grant  and 
confirm  to  the  said  William  Leversage  and  his  heirs,  lords  of  the  said 
manor  or  capital  house  of  Wheelock,  the  said  Chappell,  they  at  their 
own  costs  to  repair  the  same  when  necessary.     Dated  9"'  Oct.  1610.'' 

The  arms  and  crest  of  Leversage,  of  Wheclock,  were  carved 
on  the  roof  of  this  chapel,  and  are  still  to  be  seen  on  the 
present  roof 

On  the  8th  October,  1589,  Philip  Oldfield,  of  Bradwall, 
Esq.,  had  a  confirmation  of  his  "chappell,  oratory  or  parclose," 
on  the  south  side  of  the  chancel  of  the  parish  church  of 
Sandbach  from  W^illiam  Chadderton,  Bishop  of  Chester.' 

Of  the  OLD  Stained  Glas.s  and  .\xciext  AIoxument.s 
in  the  church  not  much  is  now  known.  In  Laurence  Bostock's 
collections  (Harl.  HIS.  139,  f.  12)  are  some  sketches  made  by 
him,  29th  August,  1572.  "In  a  glass  window  at  Sandbach," 
the  arms  of  Wheelock,  Argent  a  chevron  between  three  wheels 
Sable ;  a  quartered  coat,  Radclififc,  Argent  two  bendlets 
engrailed  Sable,  a  label  Gules,  quartering  Sandbach,'  Azure  a 
bciid  Gules  between  three  garbs  Or ;  the  coat  of  Sandbach 
alone  (also  with  the  bend)  and  the  arms  of  Dieulacres  Abbey,  Azure  three  garbs  Or,  over  all 

P  The  title  of  Sir,  in  the  Latin,  doiiiittus,  was  a  term  of  courtesy  applied  to  priests  and  curates  at  this  time.  It  is  used  by 
Shakespeare,  and  in  Nares'  Glossary  it  is  thus  explained  :  "  Dtiiniiiiis^  the  academical  title  of  a  bachelor  of  arts,  was  usually 
rendered  by  Sir  in  English  at  the  Universities  ;  so  that  a  bachelor,  who  in  the  books  stood  DotninusXixovm,  was  in  conversation 
called  Sir  Ijrown.     Therefore,  as  most  clerical  persons  had  taken  that  first  degree,  it  became  usual  to  style  them  Sir." 

'  Enrollment  Books,  vol.  ij.  f.  307,  Bishop's  Registry,  Chester. 

'  The  spelling  of  the  above  decree  has  been  slightly  modernised. 

^  Enrollment  Books,  vol.  ij.  f.  87,  in  the  Bishop's  Registry,  at  Chester. 

'  This  has  been  copied  by  one  of  the  Randle  Holme's  in  Harl.  MS.  2,151,  as  Samlbach  quartering  Radcliflc, — a  very 
strange  mistake. 


Arms  .'\xr>  Crest  of  Levers.\(;e, 
c.\rved  0.\  the  roof  of  the 
Leversage  Chapel. 


SANDBACH. 


a  crosier  having  the  staff  passing  through  the  lower  garb,  the  head  coming  between  the 
two  upper  garbs.  There  was  also  a  garb,  the  "  badge  "  or  crest  of  Sandbach,  and  "  the  crest 
or  badge  of  Ouelokc  [W'hcclock]  a  fetter  locke  Sable." 

In  a  window  on  the  north  side  of  the  chancel,  according  to  some  notes  taken  in  1596 
[Harl.  MS.  2,151),  there  were  the  following  shields  of  arms  : — Brereton,  Argent  two  bars  Sable, 
and  on  either  side  the  letters  H.  B. ;  Brereton  (a  crescent  for  difference)  impaling  Done  of 
Utkinton  (an  annulet  for  difference),  and  a  .shield  bearing  Or  [?  Argent]  a  bugle-horn  Sable 
stringed  Gules,  for  Delamere  Forest.  In  the  same  window  was  the  kneeling  figure  of  a  man 
in  armour,  with  three  sons  kneeling  behind  him,  and  that  of  his  wife,  with  three  daughters 
kneeling  behind  her.  The  man  bears  the  Brereton  coat,  with  a  crescent  for  difference,  which 
shows  that  some  member  of  that  family  was  here  commemorated.  There  can  be  little  doubt 
that  this  glass  was  placed  to  the  memor_\-  of  Hugh  Brereton,  of  Hassall  Green,  in  this  parish 
(a  younger  son  of  Sir  William  Brereton,  of  Brereton,  Knt.)  and  his  wife  Anne,  daughter  of 
Robert  Done,  a  younger  (?  third)  brother  of  Sir  John  Done,  of  Utkinton,  Knt."  The  date  of 
his  death  is  not  known. 

According  to  the  same  ^IS.  liar/.  MS.  2,151),  there  was  "on  the  rode  loft"  a  .shield 
of  arms,  Ashton  impaling  Brereton,  and  on  the  porch  the  arms  of  Leversage  quartering 
Wheelock,  and  the  initials  and  date  \V.  L.  1626.  The  Leversage  arms  and  crest  in  the 
Leversage  chapel,  "  on  the  roofe  of  the  chappell,  cut  in  wood,"  arc  also  mentioned,  and  five 
shields  of  arms  "  cut  on  a  pue  on  the  north  side  the  chancell,"  apparently  meant  for  Oldfield, 
Oldfield  impaling  Cotton,  Oldfield  with  crest.  Cotton,  and  Oldfield  impaling  Hanmcr.^  There 
was  also  "  in  the  middle  of  the  quire  a  gravestone  with  this  coate  [that  of  Wheelock  impaling 
Vernon]  and  inscription  engraven  in  brasse"'"": — 

Hie  jacet  Richardus  Quelocke  armiger  qui  obiit  vicessimo  septimo  die  mensis  decembris  a"  dni 
M"cccc"xxxix°^  et  dna  Elenora  Vernon  u.xor  eius  que  obiit  a"  dni  m"cccc"  ....>'  ac  Thomas  Quelocke 

filius  eorundem    Rici    et   Elenorx  qui  obiit   ultimo   die    mensis et   a"   dni   m"cccc"xxxix"  ^ 

[quorum]  a'iabus  jipicietur  deus. 

Vive  dec  gratus  toti  mundo  tumulatus, 

Crimine  mundatus,  semper  transire  paratus" : 

Non  melius  poterit  mala  caro  viva  domari, 

Mortua  qualis  erit,  quam  semper  premeditari. 

Post  hominem  vermis,  post  vermem  fetor  ct  horror 

Sic  in  non  hominem  vertitur  omnis  homo.'' 

"  This  marriage  is  given  in  tlie  Visitation  of  Cheshire,  15S0  (Harl.  Soo.,  vol.  x\iii.  p.  42).  He  had  Henry  Brereton,  of  the 
Peele,  son  and  heir,  and  seven  daughters,  \\\io  all  married.  The  number  of  the  figures  in  the  old  glass  has  probably  not  been 
carefully  copied,  or  some  of  the  sons  may  have  died  young. 

"  From  a  note  in  Ormerod's  History  of  Cheshire,  these  would  appear  to  have  been  still  there  in  I  Si  7,  as  he  refers  to 
them  as  "the  c.irved  coats  of  Oldfield,  now  remaining  in  the  Bradwall  Chancel." 

"  This  inscription  is  also  copied  in  Laurence  Bostock's  notes  (Harl.  A/S.  139,  f.  12'').  What  is  printed  in  the  text  is  taken 
from  both  sources,  the  mistakes  in  tlie  Latin  verses,  Sc,  having  been  corrected. 

'  From  the  history  of  the  Wheelock  family  (see  under  that  township),  it  would  appear  that  this  date  should  be  143S. 
y  This  date  was  probably  left  blank  when  the  brass  was  put  down  and  never  filled  in.     .She  died  in  1474. 

'  This  date  is  also  doubtful,  as  it  is  clear,  from  the  father's  Inquisition  /ost  mortem,  that  Thomas  Wheelock  had  died  before 
his  father. 

»  The  first  two  lines  of  this  inscription  are  also  found  on  the  brass  to  the  memory  of  James  Stanley,  Bishop  of  Elv,  in 
Manchester  Cathedral,  placed  there  in  1515. 

'■  Here  lies  Richard  Quelock  [Wheelock],  Esq.,  who  died  the  27th  day  of  the  month  of  December,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1439  and  the  lady  Eleanor  Vernon,  his  wife,  who  died  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  14  .  .  and  Thomas  Quelock,  son  of  the  said 
Richard  and  Eleanor,  who  died  the  last  day  of  the  month  of and  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1439.    On  whose  souls  mav  God 


THE  MODERN   STAINED   GLASS,  31 

This  inscription  almost  certainly  belongs  to  "  the  blew  stone  in  the  chancell,  laid 
with  brass  but  much  decayed,"  of  which  a  rude  sketch  also  appears  in  Harl.  MS.  2,151. 
This  sketch  shows  tlircc  figures  under  tabernacle  work,  with  an  inscription  at  the  foot  of 
the  figures.  This  interesting  brass  has  unfortunately  long  since  disappeared,  but  the  matrix 
appears  to  have  been  existing  in  1819.'^ 


MOST  of  the  windows  of  the  present  church  arc  ornamented  with  stained  glass  bearing 
commemorative  inscriptions.  Commencing  with  the  Xorth  aisle,  the  window  to  the 
east  of  the  north  door,''  of  three  lights,  is  filled  with  stained  glass,  having  below,  on  a  brass 
plate,  this  inscription  : — 

"The  fellow  parishioners,  neighbours,  and  former  pupils  of  the  Rev''  Lewis  Evans,  M.A.,  for  19  years 
Head  Master  of  the  Sandbach  Grammar  School,  have  caused  this  A\indow  to  be  placed  in  this  Church,  in 
which  they  worshipped  together,  to  the  Honour  of  AUmighty  God,  and  as  a  grateful  memorial  of  a  life 
spent  in  the  conscientious  performance  of  duty,  and  in  constant  charity  and  courtesy  to  all  men.  Died 
March  28*  A.D.  1869  aged  54  years." 

The  next  window  has  three  lights  filled  with  stained  glass ;  on  a  brass  plate  underneath 
is  this  inscription  : — 

"This  Window  is  erected  to  the  memory  of  George  Twemlow  late  of  the  Hill  in  this  parish,  who 
died   January  xxix   jidcccviii  aged   Ixxiv  By  one  of  the  Great  Grandsons  of  his  sister  Ann  Hilditch 

A.D.  MDCCCLX." 

The  next  window,  of  three  lights,  is  similarly  enriched  with  stained  glass,  having  a  plate 
below  with  this  inscription  : — 

"  Thomas  Broome  late  of  Sandbach  died  October  xxi  mdcccxxvii  aged  Ixxiv.  Mary  Broome 
his  wife  March  xix  mdcccxxv  aged  Ixx.  Frances  Rickards  and  Elizabeth  Broome  their  last  surviving 
Children  have  placed  this  Window  to  their  memory  a.d.  mdccclx." 

Below  the  next  window,  which  is  also  of  three  lights,  filled  with  stained  glass,  is  this 
inscription  on  a  brass  plate  ; — 

"  Charies  Rickards  of  Manchester  died  March  vi  mdcccxxxi  aged  xlvii.  Frances  Rickards  his  wife, 
August  V  MDCCCLX  aged  Ixxvi  Their  Children  erect  this  Window  in  duty  and  affection  to  the  memory  of 
their  Father  and  Mother  a.d.  mdccclx." 

The  stained  glass  in  these  three  windows  was  the  gift  of  Mr.  C.  H.  Rickards,  of  Man- 
chester, and  it  represents  incidents  in  the  life  of  David. 

be  merciful.  Live  grateful  to  God,  buried  to  the  whole  world,  unspotted  by  crime,  always  ready  to  depart.  Living  flesh  cannot 
be  better  subdued,  than  liy  ever  rellecting  what  it  will  be  when  dead.  After  man  tlie  worm,  after  the  worm,  corruption  and 
horror,  so  eveiy  man  changes  into  net-man. 

■^  In  Harl.  MS.  2,151,  there  is  also  a  sketch  of  a  shield  of  arms  "  on  a  table  on  the  wall  "  to  the  memoiy  of  "John  Kinsey 
of  Blackden  gent,  aged  58,  died  22  Oct.  a"  1695."  (See  the  account  of  this  family  under  Blackden  Township.)  There  is  also 
this  note,  probably  copied  from  some  tombstone,  "  Will  Lingard  of  Arclit  the  elder  buryed  the  II  of  Sept.  1658." 

■'  The  two  windows  to  the  west  of  the  north  door,  one  of  three  and  the  other  of  two  lights,  have  no  stained  glass4 


32  SANDBACH. 


In  tlic  Xortli  C/ia/'cl  ihcrc  is  onl}'  one  window  on  the  north  side.  This  is  of  three  h'ghts, 
filled  with  stained  glass,  bearing  this  inscription: — "William  Latham  died  June  19th  1861 
aged  49  j-ears."     On  a  brass  plate  below  : — 

"  This  Window  is  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  the  late  A\'illiam  Latham  Esquire,  Solicitor  of  this 
Town  by  a  numerous  body  of  sorrowing  friends,  who  wish  hereby  to  record  the  high  esteem  in  which 
he  was  held  by  all  classes  of  his  fellow  men,  and  their  own  sense  of  his  many  services  to  this  Town 
and  District,  as  well  in  a  wide  sphere  of  public  usefulness,  as  in  the  more  intimate  relationship  of 
private  life." 

\n  this  chapel  there  are  two  large  windows  at  the  east  end,  of  three  lights  each.  Both 
are  filled  with  stained  glass.  Li  the  one  is  this  inscriiJtion  :  "  Li  memoriam  Ricardi  Latham 
ct  Sara;  conjugis  filiorum  grata  jMctas,"  the  monogram  R.L.S.,  and  the  Latham  crest,  an 
eagle  preying  on  an  infant,  hi  the  other:  "Thomas  Xeedham  Wilson  ob.  Jan.  10  1837 
a;t  6j.  John  Wilson  obiit  February  24  1S42  ;et  74,"  and  two  shields  of  arms,  Sable  a  lion 
rampant  Or,  in  chief  three  stars  of  the  second,  and  this  coat,  impaling  Argent  a  bend  Gules 
between  6  martlets  of  the  second. 

The  Chancel  has  one  window  on  the  north  side,  of  three  lights,  filled  with  stained  glass, 
and  bearing  this  inscription  : — "  Li  honorcm  Dei  et  in  memoriam  Joannis  Latham  ob.  Jan.  30 
1S53  reta:  65."  The  large  east  window,  of  fi\'c  lights,  is  ornamented  with  stained  glass, 
but  there  is  no  inscription.  At  the  top,  in  the  glass,  arc  the  arms  of  Latham  bearing  on 
an  escutcheon  of  pretence,  Alcre,  iVrderne,  Done,  and  a  cross  patonce,  the  Latham  crest,  and 
the  arms  and  crest  of  Mere.  The  window  on  the  south  side  of  the  chancel  is  of  three 
lights,  filled  with  stained  glass,  bearing  the  same  inscription  as  that  on  the  north  side. 
These  three  windows  were  erected  b)-  the  late  John  Latham,  Lsq.,  of  Bradwall  Hall,  to  the 
memory  of  his  father. 

The  South  Chapel  has  an  east  window,  of  four  lights,  depicting  the  four  Evangelists,  but  with 
no  inscription.  The  two  windows  on  the  south  side,  of  three  lights  and  two  lights  respectively, 
are  also  filled  with  stained  glass,  the  former  ha\'ing  the  inscription  : — "  John  Henry  Latham 
died  July  iv  A.D.  MDCCCXLIII  Aged  xx  years."  These  three  windows  were  also  erected  by  the 
late  John  Latham,  of  Bradwall,  Esq.,  to  the  memory  of  his  eldest  son,  who  died  in  1853,  in  his 
twentj"-first  year. 

The  most  easterly  \\indow  of  the  South  aisle  is  of  two  lights,  and  bears  this  inscription  in 
the  stained  glass  : — "  A  tribute  to  the  memory  of  their  dear  mother  from  her  three  sons."  On  a 
brass  plate  below  : — "  Eliza  the  beloved  Wife  of  Ralph  Percival  Esq'',  who  died  on  the  14th  day 
of  August  1 848  aged  60  years." 

The  next  window,  proceeding  westwards,  is  of  three  lights,  filled  with  stained  glass,  with 
this  inscription  : — "  A  memorial  of  Friendship  to  Ralph  Percival  from  liis  fellow  townsmen." 
On  a  brass  plate  below : — 

"  Ralph  Percival  Esq''  of  Wades  Hill  House  Sandbach,  for  many  years  greatly  respected  and  beloved 
in  this  Town  and  Neighbourhood  departed  this  life  29"'  August  1853  aged  68  years.  In  disposition  truly 
amiable  and  engaging,  He  discharged  the  duties  of  life  in  its  various  relations  with  such  singular  felicity  as 
to  secure  for  himself  the  rare  distinction  of  being  the  friend  of  all,  a  good  Husband  and  Father,  a  liberal 
Master,  unbounded  in  hospitality  towards  his  friends  and  kindly  considerate  towards  all,  his  loss  was  no 
less  sincerely  than  generally  deplored.  His  friends  and  fellow  townsmen  erected  this  Window  to  his 
memorv,  a  slight  token  of  their  esteem  and  love." 


INSCRIPTIONS   ON   THE   COMMUNION    PLATE.  33 

The  next  window  is  of  three  h'ghts,  similarly  filled  with  stained  glass.  On  a  brass  plate 
below  the  window  is  this  inscription  : — 

"  This  window  is  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  William  Rathbone  Esq,  barrister  at  law  of  the  Inner 
Temple  London,  who  died  on  the  i''  May  1857  in  the  72"''  year  of  his  age;  of  Harriet  Rathbone  who 
died  on  the  12"'  July  1853  aged  65  years;  of  Joseph  Rathbone  who  died  on  the  30*''  January  1810  aged 
16  years,  sons  and  daughters  of  the  late  John  and  Mary  Rathbone  of  Sandbach  :  also  of  Citizen  Howarth 
Cowdroy  Esq  their  son  in  law  who  died  on  the  25"'  Dec.  1828  in  the  34"'  year  of  his  age,  by  their  much 
loved  and  very  loving  sister  and  widow  Martha  Cowdroy. 

The  next  window  is  also  of  three  lights,  filled  with  stained  glass,  having  on  a  plate 
underneath  this  inscription  : — 

"This  window  is  erected  in  affectionate  remembrance  of  Elizabeth  Holbrook,  who  died  May  f^ 
A.D.  1S73,  by  her  surviving  children." 

The  two  remaining  windows  in  this  aisle,  to  the  west  of  the  south  door,  one  of  three  and 
the  other  of  two  lights,  have  as  yet  (1886)  no  stained  glass. 


IN  1 549,  in  the  account  of  the  Church  Goods  in  Cheshire,  it  was  returned  that  Sondebache  then 
possessed  "  one  chales  and  a  ringe  of  iiij  bells."  As  the  Churchwardens'  Accounts  of  this 
parish  arc  not  now  known  to  be  in  existence,  no  further  particulars  of  these  four  bells  are 
c.Ktant,  but  it  seems  probable  that  they  remained  here  till  17 19,  when  they  were  replaced  by 
four  of  the  eight  bells  now  in  the  church.  The  bells  at  present  in  the  Tower  arc  eight  in 
number,  inscribed  as  follows  : — 

1.  (Treble)  C.'Vst  I!v  Johx  Warner  &  Soxs  (Patext)  London. 

2.  Thojias  Welles,  Vicar,  A.R.  17 19. 

3.  Thoilas  Brooke,  Cur.ate,  A.R.  17 19. 

4.  God  save  the  Church  and  King,  A.R.  17 19. 

5.  Abraham  Rudhall  Cast  us  all.     17 19. 

6.  Cast  ev  Johx  Warner  &  Sons  London  1868. 

7.  Cast  ly  John  A\'arxer  &  Sons  London,  1858. 

S.  Alexander  Tate,  Tho.mas  Evans,  Wardens  1782, 


Ingniptionsi  on  tiK  Commumou  ^3Iatf. 

THE   Communion  Plate  belonging  to  the  Church  bears  some  interesting  inscriptions.     On 
the  alms-dish  there  is  no  inscription,  but  on  the  smaller  plate  the  following  words  are 
engraved  : — 

The  Gift  |  of  the  Rev''  M''  |  B.  Baldwvn  Vic''  |  to  the  Parish  of  [  Sandbach  !  1737. 
On  the  smaller  plates,  upon  which  the  bread  is  carried  round  to  the  Communicants,  are  the 
following  inscriptions  :  — 

The  Guift  of  Lawrence  Steele '^  Sonne  of  Richard  Steele  of  Sandebach  in  Cheshire  to  the  use  of 
the  sayd  Parish  of  Sandebach  for  euer  1656. 

.    "  See  the  I'eiligree  of  Steele,  of  Sandbach,  p.  20. 
F 


34 


SANDBACH. 


The  following  wtjixls  arc  upon  the  lari^er  chalices  :— 

Dedicated     To  the  Honour  of  Christ  our  God  &  Saviour  |  For  the  more  decent  Celebration  of  the  | 
H.   Communion   in  the  Parish   Church  of  |  Sandbach  |  By  the  equal  contributions  of  the  j  Following 
Benefactors  |  John   Amson   of  Lees   Esq.  |  John    Jervis  of  Bradwall  Esq.  |  Jeffrey  Williams  Rector  of 
Astbury  !  Samuel  Allon  ^'icar  of  Sandbach  |  In  the  Year  1734- 

Dedicated  |  To  the  Honour  of  Christ  our  God  &  Saviour  |  For  the  more  decent  Celebration  of  the  | 
H.  Communion  in  the  Parish   Church  of  \  Sandbach  |  By  the  equal  contributions    of  the  j  Following 
Benefactors  |  M''  Jane  Hurst  of  Sandbach  Spinster  |  Richard  Maddock  of  Brickhouse  i  John  Wilson  of 
Sandbach  j  Samuel  Kent  of  Sandbach  Gent  |  [lemen]  In  the  Vear  1734. 


Tlie  smaller  cups  bear  the  following  inscriptions  : — 

The  (hiift  of  Lawrence   Steele  Sonne  of  Richard  Steele 
the  savd  Parish  of  Sandebach  for  euer. 


Sandebach  in  Cheshire  to  the  use  of 


T 


ii-lonunifutal  {nsfiiptions. 

HE  various  inscriptions  in  the  church  arc  as  follows  : — 


At  the  east  end  of  the  north  aisle,  over  the 
vestry  door,  a  small  mural  tablet.  This  was 
formerly  in  the  chancel  : — 

Near  this  place 

were  deposited 

the  remaines 

of  loSEl'H  FURXIVALL 

of  Arclide  gent 

the  5"'  day  of  lune 

A"  D"'  17  14 

^tat  suae  4S. 

Above  is  a  wintred  hour-<rlass. 


In  the  south  aisle,  over  the  south  door,  an  oval 
white  marble  mural  tablet : — 

In  Memory 
of  lonN  FuRMv.M.L  Esq''  of  Birchtou 
one  of  his  Majesties  Justices  of  the  peace 

for  the  County  of  Stafford 
who  died  at  Maple  Hayes  August  2^/^  1S06 
aged  64 
and  was   interred  in    S'    Michaels    Church    Yard 
Lichfield  — 


Above  is  a  shield  of  arms— Or  a  bend  Gules 
between  six  martlets  of  the  secoird,  impaling  Or 
a  lion  ranqiant  [?  double  queued]  Gules  within  a 
bordure  of  the  second  bezantee  [Welles]. 


On  a  large  mural  monument,  in  the  north  aisle, 
having  at  the  top  a  female  figure  holding  a  cross 
leaning  on  a  pedestal,  on  which  are  shown  two 
swords  crossed  and  a  Roman  lictor's  fasas : — 

In  Memory  of 

JoHK  Ford  Esquire 

of  Abbey  Field  in  this  Parish 

who  died  April  14"'  1839  aged  72 

This  tablet  was  erected  by  the  inhabitants 

of  the  town  and  neighbourhood  of  Sandbach, 

to  testify  their  high  respect 
for  his  public  character  and  private  worth, 
by  recording    thus  permanently,  their    unfeigned 
sorrow, 

for  the  loss  of  one, 

who  had  resided  amongst  them  upwards  of  forty 

years, 

eminently,  though  unostentatiously  fulfilling 

all  the  duties  of  an  English  country  gentleman, 

devotedly  attached 

to  our  national  establishment  in  church  and  state. 

For  many  years  an  active  and  ujiright  magistrate ; 

Ever  generous,  frank  and  hospitable  ; 

a  kind  neighbour,  a  sincere  friend  ; 

an  unwearied  benefactor  of  the  poor  and  needy; 

and  on  all  occasions 
a  zealous  and  liberal  promoter  of  every  good  work. 

Below  is  a  shield  of  arms,  party  per  pale.  Or 
and  Ermine,  a  lion  rampant  Argent,  impaling 
Ermine  on  a  less  Gules,  three  escalloi)  shells 
.■\rgent.     Crest  a  lion's  head  erased  reguardant. 


1233549 

MONUMENTAL   INSCRIPTIONS. 


35 


In    the   north    aisle,    a    mural    tablet    of  black 


slate  : 


In  Memory  of 

Edward  Pow\'S 

of  Wheelock  Esq''  who  departed 

this  life  September  29"'  1768 

Aged  59 

Much  lamented  by  his  Acquaintance 

This  Monument  is  erected 

by  his  Relict  Catherine  Powys 

and  his  Son  Thomas  Jelf  Powys  Esq'' 


In   the  north  aisle,  a  small  white  mural  tablet, 
surmounted  by  an  urn  : — 

Sacred  to  the  Memory  of  Elizadeth,  Wife  of 

Thomas  Plant  of  Ellworth  Hall,  who  died 

May  26"'  1804,  aged  57  years 

Also  of  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Edward  Westhead  of 

Manchester,  and  Daughter  of  the   above  Tho'  & 

f^Liz""  Plant 
who  departed  this  Life  the  19"'  Ocf  1849  aged  56 
years 

[Psalm  116.  V.  15] 

Also  of  the  said  Thomas  Plant,  who  died 

February  26"'  1828,  aged  76  Years. 

Also  of  Sarah,  Wife  of  John,  Son  of  the  above 

Thomas  &  Elizabeth  Plant,  who  died  ALay  29"' 

1832,  aged  34  Years. 

Also  of  the  said  John  Plant,  who  died 

January  13*''  1849  aged  58  Years. 


In  the  north  aisle,  high  up  on  the  wall,  formerly 
in  the  chancel : — 

Proh  Dolor! 

Lugubre  hoc  mortalitatis  speculum 

Mcesta  gratanter  posuit  Parochia, 

In  menioriam 

^'iri  nuper  admodum  Reverend! 

Thome  Welles  A  M 

Qui  bonis  omnibus 

Triste  sui  Desiderium 

Reliiiuit 

2'^"  die  Linuarij 

j  Dom.  1 7 28 

Anno     /Etat.  66 

(  Vicariat.  33 f 

Above  the  inscription  is  a  shield  of  arms,  a  lion 
rampant  [?  double  queued]  within  a  bordure 
bezantee,  no  colours  shown. 


On  a  large  white  marble  mural  tablet  in  the 
north  aisle,  now  much  worn  : — 

Near  this  Place 

Lie  interred  the  Remains 

of  John  Ajison  of  Leighs  Esq. 

who  dyed  Jan;  the  9"'  1735 

Aged  50 

And  of  Marv  his  wife 

who  dyed  Feb:  the  9'''  17 16 

Aged  24. 

Erected  in  pious  Respect 

To  tlie  REemory  of  her  dear  Parents 

P.y  Ann  Amson  1736. 

Above  is  a  shield  of  arms,  the  colours  now 
indistinct : — Argent  two  bars  Azure  each  charged 
with  three  plates,  between  three  leopards'  heads  in 
pale  Sable.     Crest  a  raven  proper,  now  gone. 


In  the  north  aisle  a  small  mural  tablet : — 

Sacred  to  the  Memory  of 

Richard  Darlington  Esqi" 

of  Sandbach 

obiit  24"'  January  1824 

^Lltatis  60. 

This  Tablet  was  erected  as  a  tribute 

of  affection 

to  the  best  of  Husbands,  by  his  Relict 

Marv  Darlington. 


In  the  north  aisle,  a  small  white  mural  tablet, 
the  inscription  in  capitals  : — 

In  memory  of 

the  Reverend 

Richard  Lowndes  Sal.mon  AM 

Vicar  of  Sandbach, 

Forty-one  years. 

He  died 

January  29"'  Anno  Domini  1828 

aged  73. 

[Text  I  Cor.  xv.  22] 

This  tablet  is  erected 

a  tribute  of  affection 

by  his  children  1842. 


'  The  following  is  a  rough  translation  of  this  inscription  :— Alas  !  this  mournful  niinov  of  mortality,  the  grief-stncken 
parish  gratefully  erecterl  in  memoiy  of  the  late  truly  reverend  man,  Thomas  Welles,  M.A.,  who  left  to  all  good  men  a  sad 
yearning  for  him,  on  the  second  day  of  January  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  I728[~9],  in  the  66"'  year  of  his  age  and  the  2y   of  his 


SANDBACH. 


Near  the  above  a  large  mural  monument  of  white 
marble  : — 

By  the  order  &  direction  of 

Hugh  Mee  MA 

and  late  Vicar  of  Sandbach 

this  Monument  is  erected 

in  memory  of  William  HuRsr 

late  of  Sandbach  Gent, 

who  departed  this  Life 

January  y''  14  1724  aged  66  years 

and  is  interred  in  this  Church 

underneath  y<"  seat  of  y''  ^■icarage. 

And  also  of  him  the  said  Hugh  Mee 

v,ho  departed  this  Life  July  y  19  1732 

aged  29  years,  two  months  &  three  days 

and  by  his  own  order 

is  interred  by  y''  same  place 

And  also  of  Elizabeth  Hurst 

the  Relict  of  y'^  aforesaid 

William  Hurst,  who  died  the 

8*1'  of  April  1 741  Aged  68 

F.  Mee,  relict  of  the  above  H.  Mee 

died  2''  of  Dec''  1785,  aged  80. 

Above  is  a  shield  of  arms,  a  chevron  between 

three  stags'  heads  erased,  no  colours  shown. 


In  the  south  aisle  a  white  marble  mural  tablet, 
the  inscription  in  capitals  : — 

In 
Memory  of 
William  Whitney  Esq'' 
of  Haslington 
who  departed  this  life 
on  the  24"'  day  of  July  1S42 
in  undergoing  the  painful 
operation  of  lithotomy : 
aged  62  years 
adieu  ! 


A  large  white  mural  monument  in  the  south  aisle, 
near  the  south  door,  the  inscription  in  capitals  : — 

Sacred  to  the  memor)'  of 

Richard  Galley  of  Sandbach 

who  died  January  19"'  1818,  aged  76  years 

also  Mary  his  wife 

daughter  of  the  Rev''  Jeffrey  Williams 

^'icar  of  Sherbon  and  Kirk  Fenton  in  the  county 

of  York 

and  grand  daughter  of 
Randle  Jackson  ALD.  of  Manchester 
who  died  May  19'''  1S21  aged  74  years. 


also  Axx  wife  of  John  Galley 

son  of  the  above  named  Richard  and  Mary  Galley 

died  September  8"'  1834  aged  41  years. 

also  Ann  daughter  of  the  above  named 

John  and  Ann  Galley,  died  October  4"'  1834 

aged  17  years. 

also  Richard  Jackson  of  Betchton  House, 

eldest  son  of  the  above  named 

Richard  and  Mary  Galley 

who  by  Letters  Patent  took  the  surname  of  Jackson 

died  October  i''  1837,  aged  70  years. 

also  Jane  daughter  of  the  above  named 

John  and  Ann  Galley,  died  ^Larch  24"'  1S39 

aged  16  years. 

also  the  above  named  John  Galley  of  Betchton 

House 
who  by  Letters  Patent  took  the  surname  of  Dey 
[,i7'(-  for  Day]  Jackson 

died  November  30"'  1S39 
aged  56  years. 


Li  the  north  aisle,  near  the  north  door,  a  hand- 
some monument  of  white  marble,  having  a  bust  of 
the  deceased,  three-quarters  length,  habited  in  his 
surplice,  his  hands  resting  on  a  Bible.  This 
monument  was  designed  by  G.  F.  'Watts,  R.A., 
and  Geo.  Nelson,  sculptors,  1876  : — 

To  the  Glory  of  God  and  in  Remembrance  of 

John  Armitstead,  ALA. 

Vicar  of  this  Parish  from  a.d.  182S  to  a.d.  1865. 

During  his  Incumbency,  and  mainly  through  his 
efforts  and  influence. 

This,  the  Mother  Church,  was  restored  and  enlarged: 

Three  District  Churches  were  erected  and  endowed 
at  Wheelock,  Elworth,  and  Sandbach  Heath  ; 

The  Grammar  School  was  rebuilt,  and  the  National 
Schools  were  established ; 

The  Almshouses  were  erected  with  the  noble  object 
of  giving  help 

To  deserving  poverty,  and  shelter  to  decent  old  age ; 

And  provision  was  made  for  the  wise  expenditure 
of  the  income  of  the  Sandbach  Charity  Estate. 

A  Landowner  in   the   Parish   caused   this   Monu- 
ment to  be  placed  here. 

As  a  Memorial  of  Long  Friendship,  and  as  a  Re- 
cord of  Public  Worth. '- 

"  Glorious  is  the  fruit  of  good  labours.'' — Wisdom 
III  Chap. — XV  Verse. 


f  It  sjerns  desirable  to  pl.ice  on  record  here  that  the  donor  of  this  monument  was  Mr.  C.  II.  Rickards,  of  Manchester. 


MONUMENTAL  INSCRIPTIONS. 


37 


In  the  north  aisle,  a  white  mural  tablet : — 

North  of  this  Place 

was  buried  August  9"'  1750 

Anne  wife  of  Thomas  Hulse 

aged  63 

Thomas  Hulse 

was  buried  April  19"'  1753  Aged  72 

This  Tablet  was  erected  in  pious  Remembrance 

of  her  dear  Parents  by  Anxe  Welch. 


In  the  north  aisle  over  the  north  door  a  large 
mural  tablet  of  white  marble  : — 

Near  to  this  Place 
are   interred   the   Remains   of 
Anne  daughter  of  Wiijjam  Berrixgton 

of  Sandbach 

and  wife  of  Willl\m  Lowndes 

of  the  same  place 

who  died  .April  9"'  17S8  aged  82  Years 

also 

\\'iLLL\M  Lowndes 

second  son  of  Richard  Lowndes 

of  Bostock  House  and  Husband 

to  the  above  named  Anne  Lowndes 

who  died  May  14"'  1789  Aged  83  years 

also 

Susanna  Sidebotham  Lowndes 

Daughter  of  John  and  Susanna  Kirkby 

of  Macclesfield  and  Wife  of 

^\'illiam  Lowndes  of  Sandbach 

who  died  DeO'  14"'  1804  Aged  50  years 

also 

WiLLLXM  Lowndes 

Son  of  \\'illiam  and  Anne  Lowndes 

of  Sandbach  and  Husband  to  the  above 

Susanna  Sidebotham  Lowndes 

who  died  Nov''  7"'  1806  Aged  62  years. 

also 

WiLLLAM  Lowndes  Esq" 

of  Hassall  Hall 

Eldest  Son  of  the  above  named 

William  and  Susanna  Sidebotham  Lowndes 

who  died  JanJ'  8"'  183S  aged  42  years. 

Above  is  a  sliield  bearing  the  arms  of  Lowndes, 
and  a  crest — a  man  holding  a  banner.  Motto  : 
Pro  Deo  et  Patria. 


A  small   white   mural    monument,   also    in  the 
south  aisle,  the  inscription  in  capitals  : — 

In  memory  of  Anne  the  wife  of 

William  Day  of  Sandbach  [daughter 

of  Richard  Jackson  of  Retchton  House] 

who  was  interred  the  5"'  July  1749  aged  43 

also  of  the  above  named  William  Day 

who  was  interred  the  24'''  March  1776 

and  of  their  daughters  [who  by 

letters  patent  took  the  name  of  Jackson]  viz  : 

Jane    Day    Jackson,    who   died  28"'  Jan>'  181 7 

aged  78 
Catherine    Day   Jackson,   who  died    25"'  Jan-^ 
182 1  aged  77 
and  were  interred  in  a  vault  near  the 
north  east  door  of  this  church. 
Frances    Day    Jackson,    died    Oct''    28"'    1817 
aged  77 
and  was  interr'd  in  S'  Marvs  Church  Chester. 


In  the  south  aisle  a  small  mural  tablet  of  white 
marble,  surmounted  by  an  urn  and  a  shield  of 
arms  Or,  a  lion  rampant  [?  double  queued]  Gules 
within  a  bordure  of  the  second  bezantee,  the 
colours  much  faded. 

Sacred 

To  the  Memory  of  John  Welles  Esq'' 

who  departed  this  life 

the  15"'  of  May  1803 

aged  63  Years. 

This  Monument  is  erected 

by  his  faithful  and  affectionate  Wife 

who  lost  in  him  the  tenderest  Husband. 

Also  to  the  Memory 

of  Ann  and  Elizabeth  Welles 

Sisters 

of  exemplary  Piety  : 

Ann  departed  this  life  January  4"'  17S7, 

Aged  90  Years. 

Eliz""  departed  this  life  June  21^*  1787 

Aged  86  years. 

Also  of  Ann,  widow  of  the  said  John  Welles 

who  departed  this  life  the  15"'  of  May  1813 

Aged  61  Years. 


38 


SANDBACH. 


In  the  south  aisle  a  white  mural  monument  (the 
inscription  in  capitals),  surmounted  by  an  urn  and 
a  shield  of  arms  (which  has  been  repainted) — 
Quarterly,  i  and  4,  Gules  a  fess  Argent  between 
three  birds  (?  swans)  Or  ;  2  and  3,  Or  on  a  bend 
Gules  three  crosses  patee  fitclu'e  of  the  first : — 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of 

Richard  Jackson  Esq. 

of  Betchton  House  in  this  parish, 

who  died  in  September  1718  : 

and  of  Elizabeth  his  wife,  the  only  daughter  of 

\\'illiam  Oldfield  Esq  and  Letitia  his  wife, 

who  died  December  24  1769  : 

also  of 

the  Rev.  Richard  Jacksox,  D.D. 

Canon  of  \'ork,  Lichfield  and  Chester, 

and  onlv  son  of  the  above  Richard  Jackson  Esq. 

who  died  November  12  1796  : 

and  of  Ann  his  wife, 

daughter  of  D''  Richard  Smalbroke 

Lord  Bishop  of  Lichfield  and  Coventry  ; 

who  died  April  6  17S5  : 

also  of 

The  rev.  Richard  Oldheld  Jacksox  LL.B. 

\'icar  of  Cohvit  h  and  Longdon,  in  the  county  of 

Stafford 

and  only  son  of 

the  above  Richard  and  Ann  Jackson 

who  died  January  24  1792. 

This  monument  was  erected  1799- 


In  the  south  aisle  a  white  mural    tablet,    sur- 
mounted by  an  urn,  the  inscription  in  capitals  : — 

Memoria;  Sacrum 

Rev'i'  Johaxxis  Sikson 

Qui,  literis  doctus,  et  pietate  insignis, 

Ecclesia:  hujus  erat  pastor,  triginta  septem  annos 

obiit  Feb'"  15  1796  anno  retatis  60. 

Martha  Sibson,  ejus  vidua 
obiit  Mali  14'°  1810  anno  retatis  So. 
Johannes  Sibson  obiit  Nov''*  8™  1767  an.  a;t''^  5. 
Johannes  Sibson  obiit  Oct''*  27'""  1778  an.  xt'''^  6. 
Gulielmus  Sibson  obiit  Oct'''  3''"  17 88  an.  jet'''  23. 
Martha  Sibson  obiit  Dec''^  18^"  1825  an.  ret''*  62. 
Sara  Sibson  obiit  Jul"  11'""  1857.  an.  ast''*  90. 


In  the  south  aisle  a  white  mural  tablet,  the  in- 
scri])tion  in  capitals  : — 

In  memory  of 

Thomas  Twemlow  esquire 

late  of  the  Hill  in  this  parish 

who  died  February  21*'  iSoi 

aged  63. 

and  of  Mary  his  wife 

(younger  daughter  of  the  Rev'  Joseph  '\^"ard  AM. 

some  time  Vicar  of  Prestbury  in  this  county) 

who  died  March  31"  1821. 

aged  76, 

Also  of 

(George  Twemlow  esquire, 

of  the  same  place 

wlio  died  January  29'''  1S08 

aged  74. 

The  above  named  Thomas  Tsvemlow, 

and  George  Twemlow,  were  sons  of 

George  Twemlo\\', 

formerly  of  the  Brook  House  in  Arclid. 

Axx  Twemlow, 

elder  daughter  of  Thomas  Twemlow, 

died  December  29"'  1854  ; 

aged  79. 

^Iarv  Twe.mlow, 

younger  daughter  of  Thomas  Twemlow, 

and  Mary  his  wife, 

died  November  28'''  1S60; 

aged  79. 


At  the  east  end  of  the  south  chapel  a  small 
white  mural  tablet,  the  inscription  in  capitals  : — 

In  grateful  and  affectionate  remembrance 
of  Elizabeth  Anxe,  wife  of  Johx  L.\tham  D.C.L. 

of  Bradwall  in  this  parish 

Eldest  daughter  of  the  late  Sir  Henry  Dampier  Kn' 

one  of  tlie  Judges  of  the  Court  of  King's  Bench  ; 

who  departed  this  life  May  31*'  1839, 

in  the  43'''  year  of  her  age. 

[Te.xt.     Rev.  xiv.  13.] 

In  memory  also  of  Elizabeth  Jane 

who  died  March  26,  1826,  aged  12  days: 

of  Gertrude  Anne, 

who  died  December  31*'  1831,  aged  15  months: 

and  of  Thomas  Dampier, 

who  died  March  26"'  1837  aged  5  years  : 

Children  of  the  above  John  and  Elizabeth  Anne 

Latham. 


MONUMENTAL   INSCRIPTIONS.  39 

On  a  small  modern  brass  in  the  south  chapel  :^ 

In  memoriam  Obiit  ille  Aprilis  die  20  :  a.d.  1843  ^-'tat  sua;  82. 

Johanuis    Latham    M.U.   de   Bradwall    et    Marix  Ilia  Decembris  die  7  :  a.d.  1841  ajtat  sua;  86. 

conjugis  Vivi  hie  Ueum  colebant, 

parentum  optimorum,  Mortui  juxta  in  Christo  conquiescunt.'' 
hujusce  redis  fenestram  orientalem 

saxo  reficiendam 
pictoque  vitro  exornandam  curavit 

filiorum  grata  pietas  

A.D.  1844. 
Deo  soli  sit  gloria 

Mr.  Ormerod,  in  his  History  of  Cheshire,  published  in  1S19,  gives  the  following  inscription 
as  then  existing  in  the  church.  It  is  not  now  to  be  found,  and  I  fear  must  have  been  destroyed 
or  covered  up  when  the  church  w  as  rebuilt : — 

In  the  north  chancel  [/.t-.,  the  Wheelock  Chapel].  Above  this  monument  a  shield  of  four  quarters. 

In  memoriam  (i)    Gules    a   chevron    Argent,    cheeky    Azure, 

Thom.b  Moulson'  between  three  mullets  Or.     Moulson. 

de  Whelocke  (2)    Or   a   fess  indented   Sable,  in  chief  three 

armigeri,  martlets  of  the  second  [?  Rosengrave]. 

qui  obiit  (3)  Gules  two  lions  passant  Argent,  a  label  of 

tertio  die  Septem'  three  points  Or  [?  Strange], 

annoq'  Domini  (4)  Argent  a   griphon  segreant,  party  per  fess 

1648.  Gules  and  Argent  [?  Hargreave].' 

Crest,  on  a  wreath,  a  griphon  passant,  party  per 
pale  Gules  and  Argent. 


The   following  inscription  was  on  a  gravestone    in  the  chancel,  relating   to    the    family 
of  Ford  of  Abbeyfield,  but  it  is  now,  I  believe,  covered  up  : — 

Underneath  this  stone  lie  the  remains  of 

Mary  Ann  Ford,  who  died  December  30  1809  aged  i  year  2  months 

Harriot  Ford,  who  died  September  i  1S13  aged  9  years 

John  Ford,  father  of  the  above,  who  died  April  14  1839,  aged  72. 

Frances,  (wife  of  C.    I.  Ford,  eldest  son  of  the  above  John   Ford) 

who  died  i^  December  1845  aged  28  years. 


>■  In  memory  of  John  Latham,  M.  D.,  of  Bradwall,  and  Maiy,  his  wife,  the  best  of  parents,  the  grateful  piety  of  their  children 
caused  the  east  window  of  this  chapel  to  be  rebuilt  with  stone  and  to  be  ornamented  with  stained  glass,  a.d.  1844.  To  God 
alone  be  the  glory.  He  died  on  the  20th  April,  1843,  aged  82,  she  on  the  7th  of  Dec.  1841,  aged  85.  Here,  living,  they 
worshipped  God  together,  and  now,  dead,  they  rest  in  Christ  near  each  other. 

i  For  an  account  of  Thomas  Moulson,  Esq.,  see  under  Wheelock  Township.  His  burial  is  thus  entered  in  the  Register 
in  Large  letters  :— "  164S  Thomas  Moulson  Armiger  sepult  erat  septimo  die  Octobris."  Hence,  either  the  inscription  has  been 
WTongly  copied  or  his  funeral  obsequies  were  not  celebrated  till  more  than  a  month  after  his  decease.  A  pedigree  of  a  family, 
made  out  to  descend  from  this  Thomas  Moulson,  occurs  in  the  Misc.  Gen.  et  Herald,  vol.  1.  1).  230,  reprinted  in  the  Pedixrcc  of 
the  Family  of  AslUmmer,  co.  Lane,  1S72.  Its  value  maybe  estimated  from  the  fact  that,  as  shown  by  his  will,  he  died 
ivit/iout  issue. 

>  It  is  possible  that  some  of  these  tinctures  have  been  wrongly  read,  the  colours  being  probably  very  indistinct. 


40 


Sandbach. 


The  following  inscriptions  arc  in  the  churchj-ard  : — 

On  two   raised  altar-lombs,   i)laccd  close  together    on    the    south   side    towards    the    east   end,    the 
inscriptions  in  capitals  : — 


Here 

Lyeth  the 

Body  of  John 

Fletcher  son 

and  heire  of  John 

Fletcher  of  Chres 

wallshawe  '^  who  de 

parted  this  life  on 

y^'  13  day  of  August 

in  the  year  of  our 

lord  god  1655 

being  aged  29. 

[verses] 


Here 
lyeth  the 
JSody  of 

lohn 

Fletcher 

the  Elder 

of  Cresswall 

shawe''  who 

departed 

this  life 

August  y''  2 1 

Ano.  M  1660 

.Eltatis  sv£e  59. 


On  the  south  side,  in  capitals  : — 

Susanna 

wife  of  William 

Rode  of  Betchton 

■was  here  interred 

Janua'J'  y'^  8"'  Ano  Doiii 

1661. 

Randle  son  of  the  said 

AVilliam  Rode  was 
here  Interred  January 

the  10"'  1 706 

^^"illiam  Son  of  the 

said  Randle  was  here 

Interred  October  the 

27";  172S. 

Hannah  wite  of  the  said 

William  Rode  died  Ianua'>' 

the  27'!'  1734. 


Two  tombstones  on  the  south  side,  in  capitals  : — 


Here 

lyeth  the  bo 

dy  of  ^^■illiam 

Rode  of  Betchton 

who  depart 

ed  this  life  the  26 

of  Decemb"'  and  was 

interred  Decemb.  y^' 

30  Aiio  Dom  167S 

^•Etatis  sua; 

82. 


Thomas  Margrett 

Rode  Rode 

Sone  and  Daughter  of 
Randle  Rode  of  Betch 
ton  were  l.ioth  interred 
the  6  of  November 
Ano  Dom  1680. 


On  another  tombstone  : — 
Here  Lyeth  the  Body  ot 
William  Shawe  of 
Betchton  who  was 
buryed  Novm  :  15.  1656. 


On  the  south  side,  on  two  gravestones ; 

Mary  Steele 

March  y  15"' 
1686 
Also  Here  Lyeth  the 
Body  of  Richard 
Steele  of  Betchton 
who  Departed  this 
life  May  18'''  1749 

Aged  91  years. 
Also  Richard  Steele 
his  Son  was  interred 
the  11"'  day  of  April  1760. 
Aged  71  years.     Also 
Richard  son  of  Richard  and 
Elii!  Steele  who  depart'd  this 
Life  Aug**  i'^'  1785,  aged  3^. 


Here  lieth  the  Body 
of  Sarah  Daughter  of 
Eliz  Steele  widow  of 
Betchton  who  depart 
ed  this  Life  Feb:  the  22'' 
1763    In  the  7"'  Year 
of  her  acre. 


l-'ur  .111  account  uf  CicssWlUsIuwvi. 


imJer  l)Llclitoii  Tu\vn:jliip. 


MONUMENTAL   INSCRIPTIONS. 


41 


On  the  south  side,  at  the  east  end,  on  several  gravestones : 

John  Twemlow 

of  Artlet  dyed 

May  y=  25  1703 

Here  Lieth  the 

Body  of  John  Twem 

low  of  Arclid  who 

Departed  this  Life 

January  the  27"'  1761 

Aged  68. 

Also  Jane  Twemlow  Interrd 

June  y''  18.  1774  aged  i8. 

Also  Mary  Wife  of  Th'  Twem 

low  died  DeC  y''  2  5'''  1777  aged  56. 


Ann  Twemlow 
D''  dyed  Jun  ye  3 

1703 
Also  Jane  wife  of 
John  Twemlow  of 
Arclid  who  died  Feb' 
the  22'*  1775  aged  84 
Also  Charles  their  Son 
died  March  the  16"'  1784 

aged  29  years. 

Also  Thomas  Father  to  the 

said  Charles  Twemlow  depa 

rted  this  life  April  12"'  1784 

aged  69  years. 


Here  lieth  the  Body  of 
George  Twemlow 

late  of  Arclid 
who  was  interred 
the  i2">  of  December 
1704  aged  73. 
Renewed  in  1840. 
Also  of  Martha  Daughter 
of  M'  John  Twemlow 
of  Arclid  and  Relict  of 
the  Rev'i  G.  Pownall 
She  died  December  the 
i2">  1838  Aged  77  Years. 


Sacred 
to  the 
Memory 
of 
Thomas  Twemlow 
late  of  Sandbach 
who  departed  this 
Life  Feb^'y  21^'  aged  63 
and  was  here  interr'd 
February  26"'  1801. 
Mary  Relict  of 
the  above  named 
Thomas  Twemlow 
died  March  31^'  and 
was  here  interred 
6"^  April  1 82 1 

aged  76 

Mary  Twemlow 

their  Daughter  died 

Nov''  28"'  i860 

aged  79  Years. 


In  Memory 
of  Mary  the  wife  of 
George  Twemlow  of 
Arclid  whose  Re- 
mains were  Deposited 
here  March  the  S""  1711 
in  the  74*^^  year  of  her  age 
Mary  wife  of  George 
Twemlow  Dyed  October 
the  11"'  1753  Aged  52 
The  last  mentioned 
George  Twemlow  died 
July  17"'  1778  aged  74. 
Copied  from  the  original  stone  1869. 


Also  of 
Geo.  Twemlow 
late  of  Sandbach 
Brother  of  the  said 
Thomas  Twemlow 
who  died  the  29"' 
day  of  Jan'y  1808 

aged  74. 
Ann  Daughter  of 
the  beforenamed 
Thomas  Twemlow 
died  December  29''' 
1854  and  was  here 
interred  Jannary 
the  5"'  1855  Aged 

79  years. 


Here 
Lieth 

the  :  body 
of  Dorothy 
Hartley  :  late 
Wife  :  to  :  Will 
iam  :  Hartley 
of :  Sandbach  : 
davghter  to 
William  :  Len 
gard  :  of :  Arcl 
vde  :  she :  dep 
arted :  the : 
29  of :  Janva 

ry :  Anno 
1668. 


42 


SANDBACH. 


On  a  large  tombstone,  at  the  east  end,  near  the 
Vestry  window : — 

Here  lieth  the  Body  of  Margery 
Wife  of  W"'  Furnivall  late  of  this 
Town  Gen*,  youngest  Daughter  of  W"" 
Jackson  formerly  Clerk  of  the  Peace 
she  died  March  6^^  1748  Aged  44 
Also  the  Body  of  the  said  W™ 
Furnivall  who  after  having  long 
born[e]  with  manly  Fortitude  and 
pious  Resignation  one  of  the  most 
painfull  Diseases  human  Nature  is 
Subject  to,  died  the  25"'  of  Feb''  1763 
in  the  67"'  Year  of  his  Age  to  the  inex- 
pressible Affliction  of  his  Children 
and  sincerely  lamented  by  all  who 
had  been  Witnesses  of  his  downright 
Honesty,  his  unlimited  Benevolence 
and  cheerfull  Conversation 
"  A  Wit's  a  Feather  and  a  Chief  a  Rod  ; 
"An  Honest  Man's  the  noblest  work  of  God""' 
Censorious  Men,  deny  it  if  you  can  ; 
Within  this  Tomb,  there  lies  an  honest  Man. 


On  the  south  side,  near  the  church  : — 

Here  Lyes  the  Body 

of 
M™  Alice  K Itching. 
Born  att  Nottingham  the  9  of  June  16S0, 

and 
Died  att  Bradwall  the  10"'  of  April  171S. 

Receive  a  Treasure  Earth  which  far  outvys 

the  Richest  Ore  &  Gems  that  in  thee  rest, 
Whilest  her  fair  Soul  is  wing'd  for  Paradice 

and  sings  triumphant  hymns  among  y''  Bless'd. 
This  good  &  faithfull  Servant,  while  She  Liv'd 

a  Brighter  Title  than  a  Prince  or  Lord, 
has  now  her  wages  with  Applause  receiv'd. 

Is  crownd  with  doubled  Honour  &  Reward. 
How  sweet  her  dust,  how  blooming  is  her  fame, 

The  standard  of  true  Worth  in  her  Degree. 
Her  friends  on  this  fair  stone  inscribe  her  name 

But  in  tlieir  hearts  embalm  her  Memory. 


On  the  south  side,  near  the  last : — 

Here  rest  |  the  Remains  |  of  William  |  Hall  late 
I  Servant  to  |  William  Old  |  feldEsq.of  |  Bradwall 
in  I  this  Parish  |  who  departed  |  this  Life  the  28"' 
I  of  November  |  1707. 


On  the  pathway  leading  to  the  west  door 

To  the  Memory  of 
M'-^  Eliz.  Rock 
who  lived  respected 
and  died  lamented 
Mar:  8^^  1764 
This  Stone  is  Inscribed  by 
Her  Nephew  I.  Cradock  DD 
Bishop  of  Kilmore 
in  Ireland.' 


On  the  south  side  :- 


In  memory  of  Matthew 
Parrot  of  Leigh tley  hill" 
who  departed  this  life  Oct 
the  3.  1722  Aged  74. 
Allso  of  Mathew  par- 
rott  Son  of  the  afore- 
said Matthew  Parrott 
of  Leightley  hill  who 
Dyed  October  the  12"' 

Aged  57. 
Also  Ann  Parrott  Wife 
of  the  aforesaid  Mathew 
Parrott  who  died  Oct''  i 

1774  Aged  83. 


737 


The  Remains 

of  Thomas  Parrott 

of  Lightley  Hill"  were  here 

interr'd  who  died  March  27"' 

1793  Aged  71  Years. 

Also  of  Ann  his  Wife  who 

died  June  13""  1793 

Aged  69  Years. 


.   I  have  not  at  present  been  able  to  ascertain  any  particular,  of  this  Mrs^  Elizabeth  Rock   of  of  any  connection  betw. 
the  Rock  and  Cradock  families.     There  is  no  will  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Rock,  1764,  now  at  Chester. 


This  quotation  is  from  Pope's  "Essay  on  Man,"  lines  247-S. 


See  p. 


MONUMENTAL  INSCRIPTIONS. 


43 


At  the  east  end,  near  the  buttress  on  the  south 
side  : — 

Here  lieth  the  Body  of 
George  Twemlow 

late  of  Arclid 

who  was  interred 

the  12""  of  December 

1704.     Aged  73. 

Renewed  in  1840. 

Also  of  Martha  Daughter 

of  Mr.  John  Twemlow 

of  Arclid  and  Relict  of 

the  Rev'i.  G.  Pownall. 

She  died  December  the 

12""  1838  Aged  77  Years. 


On  the  footpath  leading  to  the  west  door  : — 
Underneath  this 
Stone  Doth  Lye  the 
Body  of  Joseph  Comberb 
ach  who  Dyed  the  9"*  Day 
of  March  1743  aged  56. 
And 
also  Mary  his  AVife  who  Dyed 
the  23  day  of  March  1754 
aged  70. 
And  also  Joseph  Comberbach 
their  Son  Town  Clark  of  the  Bo 
rough  of  Macclesfield  who  de- 
parted this  Life  y*^  21=*  June  1764  aged  51. 
He  hath  left  behind  him  the  Remembrance 
of  every  endearing  Virtue  more  durable 
than  that  of  Brass  or  Marble  and  his 
Death  may  be  Justly  esteemed  a  public  Loss. 


On  a  large  tombstone  at  the  west  end  : — 

Sacred  to  the  Memory  of 

Charles  Rickards  of 

Manchester,  who  departed  this  Life 

the  e'*  day  of  March  1831 

Aged  47  Years. 

Also  of  Mary  Elizabeth,  Daughter  of 

Charles  &  Frances  Rickards,  who 

died  the  21'*  of  Dec"^  1826,  Aged  10  Months. 

The  bodies  of  the  said 

Charles  &  Mary  Elizabeth  Rickards 

were  interred  at  St.  Stephens  Church,  Salford. 


On  a  large  tombstone,  at  the  west  end  of  the 
churchyard  : — 

In  Memorj-  of  Thomas 
Broome"  Gent;  of  y"^  Brooke 
in  Betchton  who  Departed 
This  Life  Ap'  5"'  1754  Aged  37. 
Also  Elizabeth  his  Wife  who 
died  the  23''  of  Sepf  1789  Agii  70. 
Also  Thomas,  Son  of  the  above 
Thomas  &:  Elizabeth  Broome, 
died  Oct'  17"!  1827  aged  74. 
Also  of  Ann  Daughter  of 
Tho=  and  Mary  Broome  of 
The  Brick-House,  who  de- 
parted this  Life  Jan^  2''  17S4 
Aged  2  Years  &  2  Months. 
Also  the  aforesaid  Mary 
Broome,  departed  this  Life 
March  19"'  1825  aged  70. 


At   the    east   end    of  the    churchyard,  a  small 
stone  : — 

Here  Resteth  the  Body 
of  William  Repton  i'  Clerk 
Buryed  Novem''  26.  17 17. 


Here  resteth  the  body  of 
Frances,  widow  of  Charles  Rickards 
of  Manchester 
and  Daughter  of  Thomas  &  Mary  Broome 
late  of  this  Parish  ;  She  departed  this  Life 
relying  simply  on  the  merits  of  the 
Saviour,  Aug=*  s""  A.D.  i860.     Aged  76  Years 
"  It  shall  come  to  pass  that  at  evening  time  there 
shall  be  light."  Zech.  chap,  xiv  ver.  7. 

Also  of  Hellen  Daughter  of  the  said 
Charles  and  Frances  Rickards, 
who  departed  this  life  May  19"'  i860. 
Aged  46  Years. 
"  And  when  she  had  so  said  she  went  away." 
St.  John,  Chap  xi  ver  28. 
.Also  of  Elizabeth  Daughter  of  the  said 

Thomas  and  Mary  Broome  who  departed 
this  Life  October  2"''  1879,  if  the  88"'  Year  of 
her  age. 


"  For  an  account  of  the  Broome  family,  see  Appendix. 
G    2 


See  p.  50. 


44 


SANDBACH. 


On  a  raised  altar   tomb,  next   to  the  Broome 

tombstone : — 

In  Memor}^  of 

Thomas  Percival,  who  died  on  the  23"'  of 

November,  1871,  aged  61  years. 

Sacred  to  the  Memory  of 

Richard  NichoUs  Percival  of  Sandbach 

who  died  October  14"'  1S56,  aged  42  years 

Also  of  Ralph,  his  only  son,  who 

died  Feb>'  20"'  1865,  aged  11  years. 

On  a  tombstone  at  the  east  end  of  the  church- 
yard:— 

In  Memory  of  John  Broome 

who  died  October  26"'  1765,  Aged  37. 

And  of  Sarah  his  Wife  who  died 

November  5"'  1795  Aged  66. 

Also  of  John  Broome,  Son  of 

Thomas  and  Mary  Broome,  late 

of  the  Brick-House,  Sandbach. 

who  died  May  16"'  1S35 

Aged  47  years. 


Also  Here  lieth 
the  Body  of  Sa- 
rah ^^'ife  of  A\'ill'" 
Leversage  and 
Stephen  their  son 
which  both  depart- 
ed this  life  March 
the  10 :  1728  She 
aged  60  &  Him  19. 


At  the  east  end  of  the  churchyard : — 
[Cherub's  head  and  wings.] 
Here  Lieth 
the  Body  of  Willia™ 
Leversage  of  Whe 
locke  who  depart- 
ed this  Life  y''  4  day 

of  March  1719 

And  in  the  50"^  Year 

of  his  Age 

[Skull  and  cross  bones.] 


Here  lie  the  Remains  of  Richard 
Chesworth  of  Sandbach,  who  departed 
this  Life  January  the  22*  1784  aged  80  Years 
Also  the  Remains  of  John  son  of  the 
abovesaid  Richard  Chesworth,  who  departed 
this  Life  May  the  7""  1784  aged  32  years. 
Also  the  Remains  of  William  Chesworth 
son  of  the  aforesaid,  who  departed 
this  Life  June  4"'  1790  Aged  32  years 
Also  Ann  wife  of  the  above  Richard 

Chesworth  who  died  Jan''>'  16"'  1S02 
A?ed  81. 


RECTORS   AND   VICARS   OF   SANDBACH.  45 


l\frtor5  anlr  aJicnrs  of  ^autibarl)* 

lUrtorg  of  ^antibad),  c  noo  to  1256/ 

{Prior  to  the  grant  of  the  advozoson  of  tlic  church  to  the  Abbey  of  D  ten  lucres,  co.  Stafford.) 

Before  1 128.     Steinulf  THE  Priest. 
Presented  by  Randle  I.,  Earl  of  Chester. 

Before  1153.     Roger  de  Lech. 
Presented  by  Randle  II.,  Earl  of  Chester,  on  the  death  of  Steinulf 
This  Rector  held  the  living  for  the  space  of  forty  years  {see  p.  25). 

c.  1230.     Tho.MAS 

"  Thomas,  parson  of  Sandbach,"  is  a  witness  to  a  charter  of  lands  in  Church  Hulme.     The  term 
"  parson  "  at  this  date  was  synonymous  with  rector. 

2^'irar5j  of  ^antibadj,  €.  1300  to  1887. 

{From   the  Episcopal  Registers  at  Liclifield  and  Chester,  the  Record  Office,  London,  the  Parish 
Registers,  &c.) 

Richard  Burgillon,  died  1327. 

1327.     7  Ides  April  [7th  April].     PlllLiP  DE  GOODRICH  Ca.STLE.'' 
Presented  by  the  Abbot  and  Convent  of  Dieulacres,  on  the  death  of  Richard  Burgillon. 

1344.     Nones  Jan.  [sth  January].     WiLLIAM  DE  MERE. 
Presented   by  the  Abbot   and   Convent  of   Dieulacres,   on    the   resignation   of   Philip   dc 
Goderj'ch   Castall,  by  reason  of  an  exchange  for  a  Vicar's  stall   in  the  Church   of  St.   John, 
Chester. 

1348.     9  Kal.  Julii  [23rd  June].     TllOMAS  Chaumpain. 
Presented   by  the  Abbot   and  Convent  of  Dieulacres,  on   the  resignation  of  William  de 
Mere,  by  reason  of  an  exchange  with  the  Church  of  Weverham,  co.  Chester. 

1349.    7  Ides  Sept.  [7th  Sept].    William  de  Upton  [alias  Welton"^]. 
Presented   by  the  Abbot   and   Convent  of  Dieulacres,  on  the  death  of  Thomas,  the  Ir.st 
Vicar. 

1349.     Ides  Oct.  [i Sth  Oct.].    John  de  Tydrynton. 
Presented  by  the  Abbot  and  Convent  of  Dieulacres,  on  the  death  of  William  de  Welton. 
He  occurs  as  Vicar  in  1356,  when  he  had  a  grant  from   Edward,   Prince  of  Wales,  of  the  lands 
of  Adam  de  Mottram  in  Sutton  {Cheshire  Recognizance  Rolls). 

1371.     Nones  March  [7th  March].     RaNDLE  DEL  FORD. 
Presented  by  the  Abbot  and  Convent  of  Dieulacres,  on  the  death  of  John  dc  Tj'drynton. 
He  occurs  on  the  Cheshire  Plea  Rolls  as  Vicar  in  the  47th  Edward  IH.  [1373]. 

'  See  p.  25,  where  the  deed  dated  1256  granting  the  advowson  of  Sandbach  to  the  Abbey  of  Dieulacres  is  printed  in  full. 

''  In  the  Latin  "de  Castro  Godrici,"  probably  Goodrich  Castle,  co.  Hereford. 

■^  This  Vicar  is  called  Wellon  in  the  presentation  of  his  successor.  Although  Mr.  Helsby  states  (Omierod's  History  of 
Cheshire,  new  edition,  vol.  iii.  p.  106)  very  dogmatically  that  "  the  name  of  Upton  has  not  occurred  in  the  Lichfield  Registers," 
it  is  only  due  in  justice  to  myself  to  state  that  the  late  Mr.  W.  H.  Turner,  of  Oxford,  who  specially  examined  the  Bishop's 
Registers  at  Lichfield  for  me  in  1872,  copied  the  name  of  this  Vicar  as  "  Wittus  de  Upton,"  but  states  that  this  presentation  has 
been  partly  erased. 


46  SANDBACH. 


1401.    Oct.  18.    Thomas  de  Hassall. 

Presented  by  the  Abbot  and  Convent  of  Dieulacrcs,  on  the  resignation  of  Randle  del  Ford, 
by  reason  of  an  exchange  with  the  Church  of  Checkley  [co.  Stafford]. 

On  the  i2th  Aug.  1402,  the  Bishop  of  Lichfield  granted  to  "Thomas  Hassale,  Vicar  of  the  church  of 
Sondbache,"  a  licence  to  absent  himself  for  a  year  and  a  half,  to  go  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem,  and 
to  visit  the  scenes  of  the  labours  of  the  Apostles  Peter  and  Paul  (et  viiitand'  limina  Apostolorum  Petri 
et  Pauli).  It  is  not  stated  who  was  to  officiate  in  the  Vicar's  absence.  He  occurs  as  Vicar  on  the 
Cheshire  Recognizance  Rolls  in  1407. 

141 8.     Sept.  21.     Thomas  Hassall. 

Presented  by  the  Abbot  and  Convent  of  Dieulacres  [cause  of  vacancy  not  stated]. 

This  Vicar  was  probably  the  same  as  the  last  mentioned,  a  new  presentation  being  required  for  some 
reason  or  other.  "  Thomas  Hassall,  Vicar  of  the  church  of  Sondebache,"  was  party  to  a  Recognizance  on 
the  23rd  April,  1433. 

1455.    May  7.    James  Whiteacres. 
Presented  by  the  Abbot  and  Convent  of  Dieulacres,  on  the  death  of  Thomas  Hassall. 

1465.    Sept Randle  Penketh. 

Presented  by  the  Abbot  and  Convent  of  Dieulacres,  on  the  resignation  of  James  Whiteacres. 

148 1.     March  7.     ROGER  Clifton. 
Presented  by  Sir  John   Savage,  Junr.,  Knt.,  by  reason  of  a  concession  from  the  Abbot  and 
Convent  of  Dieulacres,  on  the  death  of  Ralph  or  Randle  Penketh. 

This  Vicar  occurs  at  Sandbach  in  1493  and  1501  {Hari.  MS.  2,077,  f-  4^''  and  f  79). 

c.  1 5 17.    Hugh  Brereton. 

This  Vicar's  appointment  has  not  been  met  with  in  the  Lichfield  Registers,  but  from  a  deed  copied 
in  Haii.  MS.  2,077,  f  45,  he  was  Vicar  here  in  1517.  He  also  occurs  in  1530  (Consistory  Court 
Records  at  Chester),  and  was  still  A^icar  in  1534-5,  at  the  time  of  the  survey  for  the  Valor  Ecclesiasticus. 

1535-     Sept.  15.     Thomas  Smyth. 
Presented  by  Thomas  Smyth  and  William  Beryngton,  of  Bradwall,  by  reason  of  a  concession 
from  the  Abbot  and  Convent  of  Dieulacres,  on  the  death  of  Hugh  Brereton. 

154S,    Sept.  27.    Richard  Smyth. 

Presented  by  Richard  Da}-,  of  Leek,  co.  Stafford,  on  the  12th  September,  1548,  by  reason 
of  a  concession  b}-  the  late  Abbot  and  Con\-ent  of  Dieulacres,''  on  the  resignation  of  Thomas 
Smyth. 

He  paid  his  composition  for  First  Fruits  to  the  Exchequer  on  the  27th  Aug.  [?  Sept],  1548. 

1554.     May  19.     Peter  Prestland. 

Presented  by  our  Lady  the  Queen  [Mary]  by  her  Letters  Patent.  [Cause  of  vacancy  not 
stated.] 

He  paid  his  composition  for  First  Fruits  to  the  Exchequer  on  the  9th  [?  19]  May,  1554.  The  Letters 
Patent  presenting  this  Vicar,  dated  at  Westminster  20th  April,  1554,  and  addressed  to  the  Bishop  of  Chester, 
are  still  preserved  in  the  Bishop's  Registry,  Chester.     A  portion  of  the  great  seal  still  remains. 

''  Thomas  Whitney,  the  Abbot,  with  the  consent  of  the  Convent  of  Dieulacres,  granted  the  next  presentation  to  the  Vicarage 
of  Sandbach  to  Richard  Day,  of  Leek,  and  three  others,  by  deed  dated  3rd  May,  1536.  The  deed  is  signed  by  thirteen 
members  of  the  house. — (Canon  Raines'  Lancashire  Jl/SS.,  vol.  xsij.) 


VICARS  OF  SANDBACH.  47 


1576.     May  23.    John  Shaw. 
Presented  by  Thomas  Wilbraham,  of  Woodhey,  Esq.,  on  the  death  of  the  last  incumbent 
[.'  Peter  Prestland  "^J. 

He  paid  his  composition  for  First  Fruits  to  the  Exchequer  on  the  i^i'h  June,  1576. 

The  name  of  Shaw  is  a  very  common  one  in  the  Sandbach  Registers,  so  that  it  is  not  easy  to 
identify  this  Vicar.  He  was  married,  the  baptism  of  his  daughter  Margery  taking  place  at  Sandbach  5th  Sept. 
1578,  and  that  of  another  daughter,  Margaret,  at  Brereton,  lothFeb.  1582-3.  It  was  probably  his  son  John 
Shaw  (bapt.  at  Sandbach,  5th  April,  1584),  who  is  described  in  the  Registers  as  "  schoolmaster,"  from 
1606  to  1614.  He  had  a  numerous  family,  and  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  26th  May,  1636,  as  "  John  Shaw 
clerk."  He  was  probably  also  Curate  to  his  father.  The  latter  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  i6th  Jan.  1615-16, 
as  "  John  Shaw,  Vicar  of  Sandbach,"  his  wife  having  predeceased  him  many  years  previously,  being  buried 
at  Sandbach,  iSth  Feb.  1601-2,  as  "  Elizabeth  Shaw,  wife  of  John  Shaw  Vicar."' 

[1616.]     Laurence  Wood. 

[Presented  on  the  death  of  John  Shaw.] 

This  Vicar  paid  his  composition  for  First  Fruits  to  the  Exchequer  7th  May,  14  James  [1616].  On 
the  4th  Dec.  161 7,  he  married  Margaret  Leversage,  and  the  baptisms  of  their  seven  children  are  thus 
recorded  : — Richard,  bapt.  23rd  Sept.  1617  ;  John,  bapt.  21st  June,  1620  ;  Dorothy,  bapt.  loth  Nov.  1622  ; 
Zara,  14th  April,  1624;  Laurence,  17th  Jan.  1625-6;  Elizabeth,  20th  June,  1627;  Frances,  28th  Jan. 
1628-9.  He  was  buried  at  Sandbach  21st  August,  1630,  and  on  the  17th  Sept.  in  that  year  his  widow 
Margaret  and  her  son  were  buried  there.  He  seems  to  have  died  intestate,  for  the  long  "  Inventorie  of  all 
the  goods  of  Laurence  Wood  clerke.  Vicar  of  Sandbach,  deceased,"  was  exhibited  in  the  Consistory  Court 
at  Chester,  7th.  Oct.  1630,  and  administration  of  the  goods  of  the  deceased  was  granted  to  Ralph  Hassall, 
Esq.,  for  the  sole  use  of  the  deceased's  children.  The  accounts  of  Ralph  Hassall  as  administrator,  dated 
4th  Nov.  1637,  are  still  on  record  at  Chester. 

1630.    Nov.  16.    Thomas  Tudman. 

Presented  on  the  13th  November  by  William  Leversage,  of  Wheclock,  Esq.,  on  the  death 
of  Laurence  Wood. 

He  paid  his  composition  for  First  Fruits  to  the  Exchequer,  17th  January,  1630-1.  This  Vicar  is 
probably  to  be  identified  with  the  Thomas  Tudman,  '■'■  pleb.  fil,"  of  co.  Chester,  who  matriculated  at  Oxford 
from  Brasenose  College,  28th  March,  1617,  aged  16.  He  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Eaton,  of 
Goostrey,  and  the  following  baptisms  of  his  children  occur  in  the  Registers  : — Tliomas,  bapt.  at  Sandbach, 
i6th  Jan.  1642-3  ;  Elizabeth,  bapt.  there,  i6th  May,  1644;  and  Afartha,  bapt.  at  Goostre)',  27th  July,  1651.^ 
About  1 643  his  living  was  sequestrated,  and  he  was  turned  out,  and  appears  to  have  gone  to  reside  at 
Goostrey.  He  lived  to  see  the  Restoration  of  Charles  II.,  and  in  1662  was  re-instated  in  his  old  living, 
where  he  remained  till  his  death  in  1673  (see  postea).  He  is  also  said  to  have  been  a  Prebendary  of 
Lichfield  Cathedral. 

At  this  period  the  following  entries,  probably  relating  to  the  Minor  Clergy  of  this  parish,  occur  in  the 

«  The  burial  of  Peter  Prestland  does  not  occur  in  the  Sandbach  Registers.  It  is  not  improbable  he  may  have  been 
represented  here  by  Curates,  of  whom  John  Hurlestone,  Archdeacon  of  Richmond,  who  died  in  1572  (see  p.  59),  was  one. 

'  From  the  Domestic  State  Papers,  vol.  cclxix.  No.  50,  it  appears  that  on  1st  August,  1594,  Gcori;e  Dowiiaiiie,  M.A.  (son 
of  Dr.  William  Downame,  Bishop  of  Chester,  1561  to  1577)  was  presented  to  Sandbach  Parsonage,  in  the  diocese  of  Chester. 
Mr.  Piccope  also  records  in  his  notes,  that  on  27th  August,  1594,  George  Downame,  M.A.,  gave  a  bond  for  the  Vicarage  of 
Sandbach.  This  presentation  is  by  no  means  easy  of  explanation,  unless  it  is  meant  that  the  rectorial  tithes  were  on  that  date 
acquired  by  Mr.  Downame.  There  seems  no  doubt  that  John  Shaw  remained  Vicar  till  his  death  in  1616,  and  that  he  was 
then  succeeded  by  Laurence  Wood.     There  is  no  reference  to  Downame  in  the  Registers. 

5  On  the  20th  Aug.  1639,  the  Sandbach  Register  records  the  marriage  of  Hamnet  Warburton  an;l  Mary  TitJinan,  tlie 
latter  being,  probably,  the  sister  of  the  Vicar. 


48  SANDBACH. 


Registers,  the  persons  there  mentioned  being  probably  Curates  or  Schoolmasters,  or  perhaps  holding  both 
offices  : — 

1637.  Rebecca  Gower,  daughter  of  William  Gower,  Curate  of  Safidbach,  was  bapt.  27  July. 

1639.  Margaret  Anderton,  daughter  of  William  Anderton,  clerk,  was  baptised  loth  day  of  November. 

1645.  Timothy  Hamon,  son  of  TFi:  Hainon,  cler.  bapt.  8  May. 

i647[-8].   Mary  Hulme,  daughter  oijohn  JIulme,  cler,  bapt.  27.  January. 

It  is  not  quite  certain  who  immediately  succeeded  Mr.  Tudman  in  1643,  and  it  is  not  improbable 
that  the  living  may  have  been  held  by  one  or  two  "ministers"  prior  to  Mr.  Cope's  appointment.  Tlius, 
in  the  list  of  payments  made  by  the  Parliament  between  the  19th  August,  1645,  and  May,  1646 
{Harl.  MS.,  2,144),  there  is  the  following  entry: — "'PA  M'  Hammo/ul,  minister  of  Sandbitch,  by  order 
of  the  Counsell  of  A\'ar,  lo''  o.  o.''  This  "  M''  Hammond"  and  "  Th.  Hamon"  above  mentioned  in  1645, 
are  probably  one  and  the  same  person. 

c.  1648.    Joseph  CorE. 

[Probably  presented  by  the  Committee  for  Plundered  Ministers,  on  the  sequestration  of 
Thomas  Tudman.] 

Mr.  Cope  remained  here  till  1662,  and  there  are  many  entries  relating  to  him  in  the  Registers.  He 
signed  "  the  Cheshire  Attestation  "  as  '■  pastor  of  Sandbach  "  in  1648,  and  he  is  occasionally  referred  to  by 
Henry  Newcome  in  his  Autobiography  (Chetham  Society).  His  daughter  Margaret  was  bapt.  at  Sandbach, 
2nd  Alarch,  i648[-9]  ;  Hannah,  ist  July,  1651  ;  and  Tobias,  i8th  March,  1652-3.  His  wife  Margaret  was 
buried  here,  31st  Dec.  1654,  and  in  1656  the  following  entry  occurs  : — 

"1656.  Joseph  Cope,  Minister  at  Sandbach  and  Margaret  Brooke  of  the  same  town,  spinster,  were 
published  in  the  markett  [place]  7"=  i6"'  23'^'^  and  31''  dayes  of  October  And  the  said  Joseph  Cope  and 
Margaret  Brooke  were  married  the  sixth  day  of  November." 

By  his  second  wife  he  'ViiA  Joseph,  bapt.  i8th  June,  165S;  Thomas,  bapt.  2Sth  March,  and  buried, 
29th  March,  1659  ;  Jonathan,  bapt.  15th  Nov.  1661.  It  is  noteworthy  that  in  none  of  these  entries  is  he 
spoken  of  as  "  Vicar  "  of  the  parish,  but  always  as  "  minister  "  or  "  clerk." 

In  1662,  or  earlier,  he  left  Sandbach,  and,  after  acting  as  an  itinerant  preacher  for  some  years,  he  retired 
to  Haslington,  a  small  village  about  four  miles  from  Sandbach,  where,  according  to  Calamy,  he  preached  in 
the  Chapel  there  "by  the  consent  of  the  gentlemen  to  whom  it  belonged  and  kept  up  a  very  considerable 
Congregation  in  it  as  long  as  he  lived,  which  was  to  his  83'*  year."  He  died  in  1 704,  and  Mr.  Matthew  Henry 
preached  his  Funeral  Sermon.  On  the  Minutes  of  the  Cheshire  Ministers,  it  is  said  of  him,  "  he  was  a 
very  cheerful  lively  good  man  and  preached  twice  the  Lord's  Day  before  he  died,"  although  then  82  years 
of  age.     Tong,  in  his  Life  of  Matthew  Henry,  calls  him  "  an  aged  faithful  minister." 

These  entries  also  occur  in  the  Registers  during  the  time  he  was  at  Sandbach  : — 

1653.     Riehard  Rafhhone,  clerk,  buried  at  Sandbach  4  July. 

i655[-6].     Thomas  Bailey,  Schoolm'',  buried  the  eleaventh  day  of  ffebruary. 

The  will  qI  Richard  Rathbone,  of  Sandbach,  co.  Chester,  clerk,  dated  8th  March,  1652-3,  was  proved 
"at  Westminster  before  the  Judges,"  on  the  2Sth  Sept.,  1653.  He  mentions  his  brother,  William  Rathbone, 
and  his  sister,  Ellinor  Noden,  wife  of  William  Noden,  and  bequeaths  "  all  the  tenement,  wherein  I  now 
dwell  in  Sandbach  aforesaid,  and  all  the  lands  &:c  with  all  the  tithes  and  other  the  appurtenances  thereto 
belonging,  which  I  bought  of  my  dear  and  loving  father,  William  Rathbone,  deceased,  to  my  loving  wife 
Millicent  Rathbone,  during  her  life,  and  after  her  decease  to  give  them  to  Sarah  Mercer,  the  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Alice  Mercer  of  Kingston  upon  Hull,  mariner,  kinswoman  of  my  said  wife  and  to  her  heirs 
and  assigns  for  ever."  There  was,  however,  a  proviso  that  if  Nathaniel  Rathbone,  the  eldest  son  of  his 
said  brother,  William  Rathbone,  or  in  default,  Richard,  the  second  son,  or  William,  the  third  son,  should 
pay  ^100  to  the  said  Sarah  Mercer,  then  the  said  premises  should  belong  to  the  person  making  such 
payment.     He  also  bequeathed  to  his  wife,  absolutely,  his  lease  of  "  a  parcel  of  land  {sic)  commonly 


VICARS  OF  SANDBACH.  49 


called  Wildgoose  Lake,  in  Sandbach,"  and  all  his  other  lands  in  Sandbach  purchased  by  him  of  John 
ffurnivall,  of  Betchton,  deceased,  of  Thomas  Cliffe  and  Robert,  his  son,  and  of  William  ffumivall,  of 
Sandbach.  He  appointed  her  sole  executrix,  and  desired  his  "  loving  friends  and  cousens  William  Shaw 
of  Love  Lane  and  Robert  Twemlow,  of  Sandbach,"  to  see  the  said  will  performed  for  his  wife's  benefit. 
The  witnesses  were  William  Leversage  and  Ralph  H assail.  The  will  of  MillicetU  Rathbone,  his  widow, 
dated  nth  Jan.  1660-1,  was  proved  at  Chester,  loth  October,  1661.  She  left  to  the  above-named  Sarah 
Mercer,  her  kinswoman,  a  close  of  land  in  Sandbach  called  the  Kyddenditch,  which  her  husband  had 
purchased  of  William  flurnivall,  of  Sandbach.  She  left  small  legacies  to  Richard,  William,  Mary,  Sarah, 
and  Marger)',  the  children  of  her  brother-in-law,  William  Rathbone,  and  Cicely,  his  wife ;  to  Ellenor,  wife 
of  William  Noden,  of  Sandbach ;  to  Thomas  and  Ellenor  Noden,  their  children  ;  to  Anne,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Rathbone,  and  to  the  wife  of  Robert  Slater,  of  Sandbach.  She  also  left  ^5,  the  interest  to  be 
given  to  the  poor  of  the  parish  of  Sandbach,  and  she  desired  that  ^.£^20  should  be  spent  on  her  funeral. 
The  said  Sarah  Mercer  was  appointed  sole  executrix.  The  will  was  witnessed  by  Tho;  Tudman,  clerk, 
Vicar  of  Sandbach,  Richard  Parratt,  and  Thomas  Smith. 

c.  1662.     TIIO^rA.s  TuD>rAN. 

[Reinstated  on  the  ejection  of  Joseph  Cope.] 

Mr.  Tudman  remained  here  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  being  buried  at  Sandbach  on  the  27th  Jan.,  16 73 [-4]. 
In  his  will,  dated  20th  August,  1673,  he  describes  himself  as  "  being  aged,"  and  desires  to  be  "decently 
buried  in  the  church  or  chancell  of  Sandbach."  He  refers  to  an  indenture,  dated  20th  July,  1668,  relating 
to  his  messuage,  &c.,  in  Toft,  co.  Chester,  and  also  mentions  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  his  daughters,  Martha 
Tudman  and  Elizabeth  Hay,  wife  of  William  Hay,  clerk,  and  his  son,  Thomas  Tudman.  To  the  said 
William  Hay  he  bequeathed  all  his  books,  and  appointed  his  friends,  Thomas  Swettenham,  of  Bradwall, 
and  Thomas  Smith,  of  Berchton,  co.  Chester,  gentlemen,  his  executors.  This  will  was  proved  27th  March, 
1674,  and  the  total  ofhis  inventory  came  to  Ji22'^,  of  which  there  was  ^30  in  ready  money,  "  his  apparell 
20"  "  [.£20],  and  "  his  bookes  lo''"  [^10]. 

In  a  thick  quarto  volume,  containing  various  papers,  among  Sir  Peter  Leycester's  MSB.  at  Tabley 
House,  Knutsford,  there  is  preserved  a  sermon  of  thirty-one  pages  on  Genesis  iii.  ig — "Dust  thou 
art,''  &c.,  "  Preached  at  the  Funerall  of  M''  Tho:  Leycester  by  M''  Tudman,  sometimes  Parson  of 
Sandbach,  1652." 

1674.     May  15.     William  Haye.s. 

Presented  13th  April  by  Thomas  Stephens  [of  Wheelock],  Esq.,  on  the  death  of  Thomas 
Tudman. 

I  am  not  able  to  supply  any  particulars  of  this  Vicar's  family.  His  name  does  not  occur  in  the  Lists 
of  Graduates  at  Oxford,  Cambridge,  or  Dublin.  He  is,  however,  clearly  the  same  as  the  William  Hay, 
clerk,  as  he  is  called  in  the  above  recited  will  of  Thomas  Tudman,  his  father-in-law,  and  his  predecessor  as 
Vicar  of  Sandbach.  He  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  27th  Oct.  1695.  In  his  will,  dated  9th  Oct.  1695,  and 
proved  on  the  6th  Nov.  in  that  year,  he  mentions  his  wife,  Elizabeth  ;  his  sons,  Thomas  and  William 
Hayes ;  his  son-in-law,  Thomas  Culcheth,  and  the  latter's  son,  George  Culcheth ;  his  daughter,  Elizabeth 
Rock,  and  her  son,  Samuel  Rock ;  and  his  son-in-law,  Joseph  Rock.  The  total  of  his  inventory 
amounted  to  ^208.  17s. 

i695[-6].     March  19.     Thomas  Welles,  M.A. 
Presented  20th   Feb.  by  Thomas  Stephens  [of  Wheelock],  Esq.,  on  the  death  of  William 
Hayes. 

This  Vicar  was  the  eldest  son  of  Francis  Welles,  of  Sandbach,  gent.,  and  was  born  c.  1663.  He 
matriculated  at  Oxford  from  Brasenose  College,  2Sth  March,  1679,  aged  16;  B.A.  13th  Oct.  16S2;  M.A. 
7th  July,  1685.     In  Sept.  1694  he  is  described  as  "of  Trentham,  co.  Stafford  clerk,"  and  was  probably 

H 


so  SANDBACH. 


beneficed  there.''  By  his  wife,  Grace,  he  had  a  large  family,  as  shown  in  the  Welles  pedigree,  printed  on 
p.  2  2.  Together  with  Sandbach,  he  held  for  some  time  the  Rectory  of  Mucclestone,  co.  Stafford.  He 
died  2nd  Jan.  1728-9,  and  was  buried  at  Sandbach  on  the  6th  Jan.  His  mural  tablet,  formerly  in  the  chancel, 
hut  now  on  the  north  wall  of  the  church,  will  be  found  on  p.  35.  In  his  will,  dated  3rd  Dec.  1728,  he  devises 
all  that  his  capital  messuage  or  mansion-house  in  Kingsley,  co.  Chester,'  together  with  the  Milne  of  Milne 
Poole,  and  other  messuages,  &c.,  there  and  in  Acton,  to  his  wife  for  her  life,  with  remainder  to  his  eldest 
son,  Francis  'Welles,  and  his  heirs.  He  also  names  his  sons,  John  and  Richard,  and  his  daughters.  Anne, 
Elizabeth,  and  Grace,  the  latter  being  then  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  John  Cartwright,  Vicar  of  Middlewich, 
and  bequeaths  to  them  legacies  amounting  in  the  whole  to  ^1,050.  He  left  legacies  of  ^10  to  the 
School  of  Sandbach,  and  to  the  Poor  of  Sandbach  ^10,  the  interest  whereof  to  be  distributed  in  six 
penny  loaves  on  the  Thursday  before  Christmas  Day,  and  the  same  sum  to  the  poor  of  Mucclestone.  His 
widow,  Grace  Welles,  was  buried  at  Sandbach  on  the  7th  Dec.  1747.  An  account  of  his  descendants, 
with  a  full  pedigree,  will  be  found  on  pp.  21-2. 

The  following  Curates,  &c.,  occur  in  the  Registers  at  this  period  ; — 

1701,  May  18,  Jeffrey  Williams^  of  Sandbach,  A.M.,  clerk,  and  Katherine  !Moore,  of  Sandbach, 
widow,  married. 

Jeffrey  U'illiains  signs  the  Registers  as  Curate  in  1705.  He  was  afterwards  Rector  of  Astbury, 
CO.  Chester,  from  1731  to  1757. 

1706,  June  8,  Thomas  Kent,  scho.  [schoolmaster?],  Sandbach,  buried. 

1717,  Nov.  22,   William  Rcpton)  clerk.  Curate  of  Sandbach,  buried. 

171S,  June  lo,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Addenhrooke^  Curate  and  Schoolmaster  of  Sandbach,  buried. 

.1718,  April  8,    John,  son  o{  Thomas  Brooke,  clerk,  Betchton,  bapt. 

1 7 19,  Sept.  18,  Mary,  dau.  of  /"=  Rev'^  Tho:  Brooke,  Betchton,  bapt. 

1720,  Alay  15,  Thomas,  son  of  Thomas  Watkis,  clerk,  Sandbach,  bapt. 

1 72 1-2,  Jan.  20,  Thomas,  son  of  Thomas  JJ'atkis,  clerk,  Knutsford,  buried. 

I  721-2,  Feb.  23,  Anne,  wife  of  Thomas  U'aikis,  clerk,  Knutsford,  buried. 
.1721-2,  Mar.  17,  Samuel,  son  of  Thomas  Jl'aikis,^  clerk,  Knutsford,  buried. 
.1725-6,  Mar.  18,  Letitia,  dau.  of  Raiidie  Haslelnint,  Curate  at  Sandbach,  and  Letitia,  his  wife,  bapt. 

1726,  Aug.  10,  Mary,  dau.  of  Thomas  Ellison,  clerk,  and  Sarah,  his  wife,  [of]  Sandbach,  ba])t. 

1726-7,  March  17,  William,  son  o{  Richard  Holder,  Schoolm''  &  Jane,  his  wife,  [of]  Sandbach,  bapt. 
iBuried.  there  3rd  Dec.  172S. 

1727-8,  March  23,  Mr.  Randle  Haslehiirst,  clerk,  Curate  of  Sandbach,  buried. 

1729.     May  13.     Hugh  Mee,  M.A. 
Presented,   I  St   May,  by  Thomas   Vawdrey,  of  Middlewich,    Esq.,  and  Jane,  his   wife,  on 
the  death  of  Thomas  Welles. 

This  Vicar,  who  was  born  r.  1703,  matriculated  at  Oxford  from  Brasenose  College, -21st  February, 
17  16-17,  at  the  early  age  of  13,  being  described  as  son  of  Richard  Mee,  of  Rosthorn,  co.  Chester.  He 
took   his  B.A.  degree  12th  October,  1720,  when  only  about   17  years  of  age,  and  his  M./V.  degree  on  the 

''  By  a  deed  dated  iSth  Sept.  1694,  Francis  Welles,  of  Sandbach,  gent.,  grants  to  Thomas  Welles,  of  Trentham, 
CO.  Stafford,  clerk,  his  son  and  heir  app.arent,  certain  lands  and  a  capital  messuage  at  Berryhill,  in  the  parish  of  Stoke-upon- 
Trent,  co.  Stafford,  purchased  from  Wijliam  Bagnall,  of  Berryhill,  co.  Stafford,  geait.,  and  Robert  B.ignall,  formerly  of  Beny- 
hill,  and  now  of  Finsbury,  co.  .Middlesex,  gent.,  son  of  the  said  William  Bagnall,  and  all  his  messuages,  ..Vc,  called  Knights- 
holme,  and  the  lands  thereto  belonging  in  Hulme,  alias  HuUne  Bradwall,  a'las  Knights  Hulme,  and  in  Bradwall,  co.  Chester, 
and  certain  lands  in  Grange  Lane,  in  the  parish  of  Weaverham,  co.  Chester. 

'  The  Rev.  Thomas  Welles  is  said  to  have  purchased  the  manor  of  Kingsley  in  1700. 

J  The  Registers  contain  the  following  entries  relating  to  this  Curate's  {■xmW'j-.—Elizahclh,  his  daughter,  bapt.  13th  Feb. 
1711-12;  i'ara//,  bapt.  14th  Oct.  1713  ;_/()/;«,  bapt.  2ist  Sept.  1714  ;  awA  Mary,  bapt.  30th  Jan.  1715-16.  His  wife  Sarah 
was  buried  at  Sandbach,  2nd  Feb.  1715-16.     See  his  gravestone,  p.  43. 

^  The  Rev.  Mr.  Thorn  is  Watkis,  Knutsford,  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  iSlh  Sept.  1756. 


VICARS   OF   SANDBACH.  51 


loth  June,  1726.  A  few  months  after  coming  to  Sandbach,  he  was-married  there,  on  the  8th  Dec.  1729; 
to  Frances  Hurst,  spinster,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Elizabeth,  baptised  there  20th  Sept.  1730. 
He  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  21st  July,  1732,  and  on  his  mural  monument,  still  extant  {see  p.  36),  he 
is  described  as  29  years  of  age.  His.  widow  survived  him  for  more  than  fifty  years,  being  buried  at 
Sandbach  on  the  7th  Dec.  1785,  as  "  Mrs.  Frances  Mee  widow."  His  daughter,  Elizabeth,  was  married 
at  Sandbach,  12th  July,  1751,  to  the  Rev.  Simon  Mills,  M.A.,  afterwards  appointed  Vicar  of  Leek, 
CO.  Staftbrd,  in  1758.'  Letters  of  adfninistration  of  the  goods,  &c.,  of  the  Rev.  Hugh  Mee,  clerk, 
late  Vicar  of  Sandbach,  were  granted  to  Frances,  his  relict,  at  Chester,  on  the  24th  August,  1732. 
In  1730  and  \-ii2,John  Ticcmloto  signs  the  Registers  as  Curate  of  Sandbach. 

1733.    April  13.    Samuel  Allon,  B.A. 
Presented,  21st  December,   1732,  by  Thomas  Vawdrey,  of  the   Middle  Temple,  Esq.,  and- 
Jane,  his  wife,  on  the  death  of  Hugh  Mee. 

Mr.  Allon,  who  was  probably  a  native  of  Barnsley,  co.  York,  was  admitted  a  sizar  at  Jesus  College, 
Cambridge,  on  the  20th  April,  1723,  being  simply  described  as  "Eboracensis.""  He  took  his  B.A.  degree 
on  the  r3th  Jan.  i726[-7].  He  was  Vicar  for  little  more  than  three  years,  being  buried  here  on  the 
26th  Aug.  1736.  He  left  an  only  daughter,  Susanna,  who,  on  the  ist  June,  1752,  was  marriefl  to 
the  Rev.  John  Watson,  then  Curate  of  Halifax,  and  afterwards  Rector  of  Stockport."  In  the  settlements 
drawn  up  for  this  marriage,  dated  the  29th  and  3pth  May,  1752,  she  is  described  as  Susanna  Allon,  of 
Barnsley,  spinster. 

By  his  will,  dated  21st  Aug.  1736,  Mr.  Allon  left  ^40  to  the  ALaster  and  Fellows  of  Jesus  College, 
Cambridge,  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  said  college.  He  mentions  five  cottages,  which  he  had  in 
Castlegarth,  in  Barnsley,  co.  York,  and  desires  his  mother;  whonx  he  appoints  sole  executrix,  to  have 
the  custody  of  his  daughter  during  her  minority,  and  if  she  (the  mother)  should  die,  that  Henry 
Beaumont,  Esq.,  should  take  her  place.  The  only  other  relative  named  is  his  cousin,  Michael  Rooke. 
This  will  was  proved  at  Chester  on  the  14th  Dec.  1736,  by  Olave  Marrow  [his  mother],  sole  executrix. 
In  his  inventory,  the  total  of  which  is  ;^77.  153.  5d.,  his  books  are  valued  at  ^12.  iis. 

1736.     Sept.  25.     Blavnev  Baldwvn,  M.A. 
Presented,  23rd  September,  by  Edward  Powys,  of  Moreton  [and  Wheelock],  co.  Chester, 
Esq.,  on  the  death  of  Samuel  Allon. 

He  was  the  son  of  Francis  Bald^\7n,  gent.,  of  St.  Julian's,  Shrewsbury,  and  matriculated  at  Oxford 
from  Christ  Church,  2nd  July,  1723,  aged  17.  He  signed  the  subscription  book  as  Baldw/n.  He  took 
his  B.A.  degree  at  Oxford,  20th  April,  1727,  and  that  of  M.A.  at  Cambridge,  from  King's  College, 
in  1736.  His  name  does  not  occur  in  the  Registers;  and  during  the  three  years  that  he  held  this 
living  he  was  probably  represented  at  Sandbach  by.  his  Curate,  Williatn  Dickiii,  B.A. 

Mr.  Dickin  was  the  son  of  William  and  Mary  Dickin,  of  Renston,  and  was  baptised  at  the  church 
of  Hodnet,  co.  Salop,  on  the  20th  Sept.  1712.  He  took  his-  B.A.  degree  from  Pembroke  College, 
Oxford,  1 2th  March,  1732,  and  was  for  a  time  master  of  the  Free  School  at  Audley,  and  minister 
of  Talk-on-the-Hill,  in  the  same  parish.  Thence  he  came  to  Sandbach  at  Lady  Day,  1736,  on 
trial,  to  teach  the  Grammar  School  there,  and  was  formally  elected  to  that  post  on  the  i6th  Aug. 
1736.  He  was  appointed  Curate  of  Sandbach  by  the  Rev.  Blayney  Baldwyn,  on  the  7th  Dec.  1737. 
On  the  24th  Jan.  1736-7,  a  marriage  licence  was  granted  at  Chester  to  William  Dickin,  clerk,  of 
Sandbach,  and  Mary  Goodwin,  of  Audley,  who  were  to  be  married  at  Coppenhall,  Astbury,  or  Congleton. 

'  See  Sleigh's  History  of  Leek,  2nd  edition,  p.  84. 

"  Information  kindly  sent  by  Dr.  Corrie,  the  late  Master  of  Jesus  College,  Cambridge. 

°  See  East  Cheshire,  vol.  i.  p.  397. 

II    2 


52  SANDBACH. 


A  daughter,  Afary  JDiii'ui,  wa.s  baptised  at  Sandbach,  12th   Dec.  1739,  and  another  daughter,  A'7//;tT/>;t', 
on  the  23rd  Oct.  1741. 

On  the  2nd  May,  1741,  the  burial  of  "Elizabeth  wife  Qi  John  Davies  Schoolm"'  olim  Sandbach" 
is  recorded  in  the  Register.  A  piece  of  the  jiresent  Communion  plate  in  use  at  Sandbach  was  given 
by  jNIr.  Blayney  Baldwyn,  the  Vicar,  in  1737  {see  p.  2,1>)° 

1739.     May  13.     Henry  Baldwyn,  M.A. 
Presented  by  Edward  Powys,  of  Moreton  [and  Wheclock],  Esq.,  on  the  cession  of  Blaynej' 
Baldwyn.i' 

This  Vicar,  who  was  the  son  of  John  Baldwyn,  of  Munslow,  co.  Salop,  gent.,  matriculated  at  Oxford 
from  Christ  Church,  18th  Dec.  1732,  aged  20.  He  took  his  B..\.  degree  at  Oxford,  2nd  July,  1734, 
and  that  of  M.A.  from  Queen's  College,  Cambridge,  in  1740.  Although  he  held  this  living  until  his 
death  in  1772,  his  name  only  occurs  occasionally  in  the  parish  Registers,  and  his  duties  appear  to  have 
been  undertaken  by  Curates.  Of  these  the  Rev.  William  Diekin,  above  referred  to,  was  here  in  1741, 
and  possibly  later  ;  whilst  from  1746  to  1759,  or  later,  the  Rev.  George  Penlington  was  Curate.  He  was 
buried  on  the  22nd  Dec.  1760,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  /(V/«  Sibson,  who  remained  here  till  his 
death  in  1796.  The  latter's  children  are  thus  entered  in  the  Registers: — Mary,  bapt.  Jan.  16.  1760; 
John,  bapt.  March  6  1762,  buried  10  Nov.  1767;  IVilliatii,  Dec.  14  1765,  buried  Oct.  7.  1788;  Sarah 
Aug  5  1769  ■,John  April  i.  1772,  buried  Oct.  30.  177S.  These  are  all,  except  Mar)',  named  on  the  mural 
tablet  on  the  south  wall  of  the  church  {see  p.  38). 

During  Mr.  Baldwyn's  incumbency,  the  following  sermon  preached  at  Sandbach  was  printed  in  1758  : — 
"A  Sermon  Preach'd  in  the  Parish  Church  of  Sandbach  on  Friday,  February  17  1758,  Being  the  Day 
appointed  for  a  Solemn  Fast  and  Humiliation.  By  Thomas  Wright,  A.B.,  minister  at  Haslington. 
Published  at  the  Request  of  the  Parishioners  before  whom  it  was  Preached.  Printed  for  the  Author  : 
And  sold  by  Mr.  Taylor,  Bookseller  in  Nantwich,  Mr.  Broome  in  Sandbach,  and  Mr.  Davenport  in 
Congleton.      1758.     (Price  Six  Pence.)"     Small  Octavo. 

'^771-    April  21.     Peter  Haddon,i  M.A. 
Presented  by  Mary  Haddon,  widow,  on  the  death  of  Henry  Baldwyn. 

Mr.  Haddon,  who  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Haddon,  Rector  of  Warrington,  co.  Lane, 
matriculated  at  Oxford  from  Brasenose  College,  Sth  May,  1754,  aged  16.  He  took  his  B..\.  degree 
14th  Jan.  1758,  and  that  of  M.A.  loth  July,  1761.  On  the  19th  April,  1763,  being  then  Curate  of  St.  Mary's, 
Manchester,  he  was  nominated  to  the  Perpetual  Curacy  of  Blackley  Chaptl  in  that  parish,''  where  he 
remained  till  he  was  appointed  to  the  vicarage  of  Leeds,  24th  Dec.  17S6,  holding  this  curacy,  together 
with  the  Vicarage  of  Sandbach,  but  residing  at  Blackley.^  He  thereupon  resigned  the  living  of  Sandbach, 
and  held  the  Vicarage  of  Leeds  till  his  death  in  February  1S15.     He  is  described  by  Dr.  Whitaker,  who 

"  Irecentlyobtainedacopyof.thisVicar'sbooliplate,  which  may  be  thus  described: — Within  an  oblong  ornamental  frame  are  two 
Cupids,  su|)porting  l^y  waving  cords  the  cross-bar  of  a  banner,  which  turns  up  below,  disclosing  the  motto,  "Per  Deum  Meum 
Transilio  Murum,"  in  Roman  capitals.  On  the  flag  is  a  shield  bearing  the  arms  :  Argent  a  saltire  Sable,  impahng  the  same 
coat  undifferenced.  The  shield,  which  is  ornate  in  form,  is  surmounted  liy  an  esquire's  hehn,  without  mantling,  sustaining  the 
crest,  a  wyvern,  with  tail  nowed,  collared,  and  chained,  this  crest  projecting  above  the  cross-bar  of  the  banner.  Over  the  crest 
is  the  motto,  "  Nunquam  nun  paratus,"  and  below  the  banner  is  the  name  of  the  owner,  "  Blayney  B.ikhvyn,  A.M.,"  both  in 
Roman  capitals. 

P  In  the  original  presentation,  preserved  in  the  Bishop's  Registiy,  Chester,  he  is  stvled,  "The  Rev.  Henry  Baldwyn  of 
Bitterley,  co.  Salop,  clerk,  B.A." 

1  Mr.  Haddon's  testimonial  as  to  good  conduct,  &c.,  preserved  in  the  Bishop's  Registry,  Chester,  dated  igih  .Apnl,  177:;,  is 
signed  by  Giles  Fairclough  H.addon,  I).D.,  Rector  of  Stepney,  Robt.  Markham,  D.L).,  Rector  of  St.  .Mary's,  Whitechapel, 
and  Allan  Harrison  Eccles,  A.M.,  Rector  of  Stratford  Bow. 

■■  There  were  great  disputes  on  this  presentation,  for  an  account  of  which  see  Booker's  History  of  Blackley  Chapel, 
pp.  74  to  7S. 

"In  a  deed  dated  24th  Feb.  17S5,  I  find  him  described  as  "the  Rev.  Peter  Haddon,  of  Stone  Wall,  near  Manchester, 
clerk,  •     He  sealed  with  a  seal  bearing  Or  a  man's  leg  couped  above  the  knee  (colour  not  given). 


VICARS   OF   SANDBACH.  53 


knew  him  well,  as  possessing : — "  A  graceful  person,  a  cheerful  countenance,  a  musical  voice,  the 
deportment  of  a  gentleman,  and  an  invincible  tranquillity  of  temper."'  He  died  there,  of  a  gradual 
decay  of  nature,  in  his  seventy-eighth  year,  on  the  22nd  Feb.  1815.  He,  like  his  two  predecessors, 
seems  to  have  been  non-resident  at  Sandbach,  where  the  Rev.  John  Sibson  continued  to  officiate  as 
Curate.  The  Register  at  Blackley  Chapel  contains  entries  of  the  baptism  of  his  daughter  Mary, 
17th  May,  1772,  that  of  his  daughter  Elizabeth,  31st  Oct.  1773,  and  the  burial  of  his  wife,  Elisabeth, 
23rd  Feb.  1775. 

1787.     January  30.     RICHARD  LoWNDES  SALMON,  M.A. 

Instituted  on  his  own  petition  on  the  cession  of  Peter  Haddon. 

This  Vicar,  who  was  the  son  of  Edward  Salmon,  of  Nantwich,  Esq.,  by  his  wife,  Anne,  daughter  and 
co-heir  of  Richard  Lowndes,  of  Bostock  House,  in  this  parish,  Esq.,  matriculated  at  Oxford  from 
Brasenose  College,  26th  March,  1774,  aged  20;  B.A.,  loth  Oct.  1777;  M.A.,  15th  June,  17S0.  On  the 
8th  July,  1799,  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Richard  Barrow,  of  Salford,  co.  Lane,  by  whom  he  had 
issue.  He  died  on  the  29th  Jan.  1828,  aged  73,  after  having  been  Vicar  of  Sandbach  for  forty-one  years. 
His  mural  tablet  on  the  north  wall  of  the  church  (see  p.  35)  was  erected  by  his  children  in  1842.  In 
his  will,  dated  28th  July,  1825,  he  mentions  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  his  eldest  son,  Henry  Lowndes  Salmon, 
then  holding  an  appointment  in  the  East  Indies,  and  refers  to  his  other  children,  without  naming  them. 

On  the  19th  Feb.  1796,  the  V^t\.  John  Sibson,  who  had  so  long  been  Curate  of  Sandbach,  was  buried 
there,  and  in  1801  C.  Lockitt,  B.A.,  signs  the  Registers  as  Curate.  He  died  at  the  Vicarage,  Sandbach, 
on  the  26th  June,  1813. 

1828.     February  20.     JOIIN  ARMIT.STEAD,  M.A. 

Presented  by  George  Toilet,  of  Betley  Hall,  co.  Stafford,  Esq.,  and  James  Caldwell,  of 
Lindley  Wood,  co.  Stafford,  Esq.,  executors  of  the  will  of  John  Armitstead,  late  of  Bawtry,  co. 
York,  clerk,  on  the  death  of  R.  L.  Salmon. 

Mr.  Armitstead,  who  was  the  eldest  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Armitstead,  of  Cranage  Hall,  in  this  parish, 
by  his  second  wife.  Miss  Mary  Simpson,  was  born  24th  Feb.  1801,  and  matriculated  at  Oxford  from  Trinity 
College,  27th  Feb.  1S19,  aged  18,  and  took  his  B.A.  degree  there  on  the  14th  Jan.  1823,  and  that  of  M.A. 
13th  May,  1826.  On  the  27th  May,  1828,  he  was  married  at  Trinity  Church,  Chester,  to  Susan  Hester, 
second  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Richard  Massie,  of  Coddington,  co.  Chester,  by  whom  he  had  a  numerous 
family.  He  held  the  Vicarage  of  Sandbach  for  nearly  forty  years,  and,  being  a  man  of  active  mind  and 
much  energy  of  character,  he  was  instrumental  in  doing  a  large  amount  of  good  in  this  extensive  parish. 
The  old  parish  church  was  pulled  down  and  rebuilt  and  enlarged,  and  three  new  churches  were  erected  by 
subscription  at  Wheelock,  Elworth,  and  Sandbach  Heath.  The  Sandbach  Grammar  School  was  rebuilt, 
and  its  management  remodelled,  and  the  National  Schools  were  established.  He  also  took  a  leading  part 
in  the  management  of  the  Sandbach  Charity  estate,  and  in  the  erection  and  endowment  of  the  Almshouses. 
He  died  on  the  19th  April,  1865,  to  the  great  grief  of  the  parishioners  and  his  many  friends  in  all  parts 
of  the  county.  The  handsome  marble  monument,  erected  to  his  momory  by  Mr.  C.  H.  Rickards,  has 
been  described  on  p.  36,  and  its  inscription  there  printed. 

Mr.  Armitstead  was  the  author  of  a  little  pamphlet  of  thirty-five  pages,  entitled  "  Sabbath  Day  Cheese- 
making  not  a  work  of  Necessity ;  or,  Dialogues  between  a  Country  Clergyman  and  his  Parishioners. 
By  the  Rev.  J.  Armitstead,  M..\.,  Vicar  of  Sandbach.  Chester  :  1S40."  A  second  edition,  with  a  frontis- 
piece of  a  Cheshire  cottage,  appeared  in  1841.  This  tract  was  very  instrumental  in  putting  an  end  to 
what  had  hitherto  been  the  custom  of  making  cheese  on  Sundays  as  well  as  week-days."     He  also  wrote 

"  Dr.  Whitaker's  Loidis  and  Elmete,  p.  48. 

"  In  1837  there  was  printed  at  Chester,  by  Parry  &  Son,  Eastgate  .Street,  the  third  edition  of  a  thin  pamphlet  of  16  p.iges, 
entitled,  Tin  Obligatiuns  to  Keep  t/ie  Sabl>alli  Day  Holy,  and  the  Unla'i'fulness  of  Malting  Clicese  on  thai  Day.  Didiucd  from 
God's  IVord.     At  the  end  is  this  note,  "  Any  person  desirous  of  further  information  upon  this  subject  is  at  hberty  to  apply  to 


Mr.  Ralphs,  Saighton,  near  Chester." 


54  SANDBACH. 


an  octavo  pamphlet  of  sixty-nine  pages  entitled  "  On  the  Means  possessed  by  the  Church  for  the  Education 
of  the  People :  A  Letter  to  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Chester.  By  the  Rev.  John  Armitstead,  A.M.,  Vicar  of 
.Sandbach.  London:  1847."  He  also  printed  "  A  Sermon,  preached  at  the  Visitation  of  the  Right  Rev. 
the  Lord  Bishop  of  Chester,  in  the  Parish  Church  of  Nantwich,  on  Thursday  the  3rd  May,  1844,  by  the 
Rev.  John  Armitstead,  M.A..  Vicar  of  Sandbach,  and  Rural  Dean." 

During  his  incumbency  the  following  Sermon,  preached  at  Sandbach,  was  published  in  1830  :  "  The 
Claims  of  Sunday  Schools  Vindicated:  A  Sermon  preached  in  Sandbach  Church,  Sept.  12,  1830,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Sunday  School,  by  T.  B.  Ingham,  B.A.,  Curate  of  Sandbach,  and  late  of  Queen's  College, 
Cambridge.     London:   1S30,"  octavo,  pp.  34. 

1865.    October  20.    John  Richard  Armitstead,  M.A. 
Instituted  on  his  own  petition  on  the  death  of  John  Armitstead. 

{The  present  Vicar.) 

Mr.  Armitstead,  who  was  the  eldest  son  of  the  late  Vicar,  was  educated  at  Christ  Church,  Oxford, 
where  he  matriculated  on  the  28th  June,  1848,  aged  19,  and  took  his  B.A.  degree  in  1852,  and  that 
of  M.A.  in  1S55.  He  was  for  some  time  Student  of  his  College.  He  held  the  incumbency  of  Goostrey, 
Cheshire,  from  1859  to  1862,  and  the  rectory  of  Wendlebury,  Oxfordshire,  from  1862  to  1865.  He  was 
married  at  Acton,  near  Nantwich,  9th  May,  1866,  to  Frances  Mary,  eldest  daughter  of  William  Henry 
Hornby,  Esq.,  then  M.P.  for  Blackburn,  co.  Lancaster,  by  whom  he  has  issue  five  sons  and  two  daughters. 


The  first  \'olumc  of  the  Registers  is  a  thick  folio,  very  closely  written,  commencing  with 
the  )-car  1562,  and  ending  in  1698.  The  entries  are  arranged  under  Baptisms,  Marriages,  and 
Burials,  and  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  during  the  Civil  War  and  Commonwealth  periods  there  is 
no  break  in  the  Register.     On  the  first  page  is  this  general  title  : — • 

The  Regester  Boke  of  all  the 
Christenings  Weddings  and  Burialls 
w"'in  the  pishe  of  Sandbache 
\v"'  the  names  and  surnames 
and  also  what  Dale  of  what 
moneth  everie  pson  was  so 
Christened  Wedded  and  buried 
accordinge  to  the  Queenes  Ma'"-'^ 
Iniunctions  in  that  Case  pvided. 
Beginninge  the  ffirst  Dale  of 
Januarie  Anno  Dfii  Mille" 
Quingen"  Sexege"  scdo  Et 
Anno  Regni  Elizabethe  regine 
fidei  Defensoris  &c  Quinto. 

The  book  is  in  a  very  good  state,  and  the  entries  arc  very  legible.  One  feature  is  very 
notcworth}-,  and  that  is,  that  down  to  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century  the  entries  of 
most  of  the  baptisms  of  members  of  the  "gentle"  families  in  the  parish  are  very  full,  and 
contain  the  names  of  the  godfathers  and  godmothers,  a  practice  as  interesting  as  it  is  unusual, 


THE    PARISH  :KEGISTERS.  55 

this  being  the  only  Register  of  the  many  Cheshire  Registers,  which  I  have  examined,  in  which  it 
occurs.  All  the  instances  in  which  the  names  of  the  godparents  are  given  will  be  found  in  the 
following  list,  translated  from  the  Latin,  in  which  the  earlier  portion  of  the  Register  is  written. 
Stops  have  been  added,  where  necessary,  to  make  the  sense  of  the  various  entries  as  clear  as 
possible.  Most  of  the  entries,  here  given,  will  also  be  found  noted  in  the  respective  pedigrees 
under  the  various  townships. 

The  Registers  contain  entries  relating  to  the  following  old  families  resident  in  the  parish 
of  Sandbach,  pedigrees  of  which  will,  it  is  hoped,  be  able  to  be  given  in  this  history  : — 
Oldfield,  of  Bradwall ;  Hassall,  of  Hassall  ;  Leversage,  of  Wheelock  ;  Weld,  of  Little  Hassall ; 
Raven,  of  Elworth  ;  Lowndes,  of  Bostock  House  ;  Mainwaring,  of  Arclid  ;  Twemlow,  of  Arclid  ; 
Jackson,  of  Betchton  House  ;  Furnivall,of  Betchton  ;  Broome,  of  Betchton  ;  Jervis,  of  Bradwall  ; 
Steele,  of  Sandbach  ;  and  Welles,  of  Sandbach. 

Entries  relating  to  the  following  families  are  also  met  with  in  these  Registers  : — Broome, 
Lowe,  Brook,  Twemlow,  Chesworth,  Steele,  Smallwood,  Shaw,  Lowndes,  Leversage,  Hassall, 
Proudlove,  Cash,  Meriall,  Minshull,  Hatton,  Stanway,  Arrowsmith,  Stubbs,  Wright,  Brereton, 
Whittingham,  Lingard,  Furnivall,  Hodgekinson,  Jackson,  Ellison,  Boult,  Dale,  Berington, 
Walworth,  Clayton,  Moreton,  Kent,  Somerfield,  Rathbone,  Podmore,  Lea,  Lockett,  Gallimorc, 
Weddington,  Okes,  Vizakerley,  Johnson,  Chell,  Whelock,  Meakin,  Millington,  Warmincham, 
Poole,  Richardson,  Eachus,  Booth,  Corker,  Fairbarnes,  Vawdrey,  Hope,  Fletcher,  Cliffe,  Ryle, 
Amson,  Walley,  Sharman,  Salmon,  Stretch,  Barnard,  Ardernc  or  Harden,  Hulse,  Allen, 
Pritchard,  Bertles,  Noden,  Kelsall,  Newton,  Twisse,  Lawton,  Tipping,  Bassett,  Hayward, 
Baddeley,  Deane,  Omer,  Weever,  Oulton,  Wildblood,  Hurdsfield,  More,  Goodhind,  Cranage, 
Ridgway,  Cadman,  Hilditch,  Cartwright,  Leake,  Skerriott  or  Skerratt,  Rainbow,  Peevcr, 
Alsager,  Smethley,  Gorst,  Kettle,  Stonier,  Bullin,  Parker,  Ph}'thian,  Turner,  Maddock 
Blackamore,  Heathcott,  Kirkman,  Symons,  Bowyer,  Culcheth,  Mouseley,  Wedgewood,  Allen, 
Ruddiart,  Capper,  Rylance,  Jennings,  Hewitt  or  Huet,  Dickens,  Miners,  Parrott,  Boughey, 
Eaton,  Wrench,  Kinsey,  Galley,  Ford,  Latham,  Comberbatch,  Watkis,  Plant,  Day,  Evanson, 
Leadbeater,  Penlington,  Bailey,  and  Rode. 


BAPTISMS. 

1563.  ^^'illimus  Leu'sage,  filius  Willimi  Leu'sage  [Leversage]  ar'  bapt.  xxvij"  Aprilis. 

1564.  Willimus  Baskerfeild,  filius  W'"' Baskerfeild  [.f/V  for  Baskervyle]  gener' et  Joanna;  Hunstone, 

concubine  sue,  po«  [parochije]  de  Cheleford,  bapt.  23°  7'"'  [September]. 

1567.     Isabella  Leu'sage,  filia  W™'  Leversage,  armigeri,  bapt.  xxij°  Augusti. 

1573.     Hugo  Leu'sage,  filius  W""  Leu'sage  armigeri  bapt.  xxviij"  Decembr'. 

1575.""  Memorandum  that  Philip  Oldfeld,  of  Greyes  Inne,  co.  Middlesex,  gent,  and  Ellen,  his 
wife,  daughter  and  heir  apparent  of  William  Berington,  of  Bradwall,  co.  Chester,  gentleman, 
had  a  son  born  at  the  Hall  of  Bradwall,  in  the  parish  of  Sandbach,  in  the  said  county  of 
Chester,  on  the  Tuesday,  being  the  28th  day  of  June,  in  the  year  of  Christ  1575,  and  in 
the  year  of  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth  the  seventeenth,  the  which  son  of  the  said  Philip 
and  Ellen  afterwards,  viz.,  the  Friday  then  next  following,  being  July  the  first,  in  the  said 
year,  was  baptised  in  the  parish  church  of  Middlewich,  in  the  said  county  of  Chester,  by 

*   From  this  date  I  have  translated  the  entries  from  the  Latin  in  which  they  are  w  ritten. 


56  SANDBACH. 


the  name  of  Thomas  Oldfeld,  Thomas  Venables,  Esq.,  son  and  heir  apparent  of  Sir 
Thomas  Venables,  of  Kinderton,  in  the  said  county  of  Chester,  Knt.,  and  William  Boweor 
[Bowyer],  of  Knypersley,  co.  Stafford,  Esq.,  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  the  said  William 
Berynton,  being  the  godparents  and  sponsors  {susceptoribus  et  sponsoribus)  of  the  said  child. 

1576.  Elizabeth  Oldfeld,  daughter  of  Philip  Ouldfeld,  gent.,  baptised  the  last  of  November. 

1577.  Ellena  Leu'sage,  daughter  of  William  Leu'sage,  baptised  25"'  day  of  December. 

1577-  John  Stepletun,  son  of  a  certain  William  Stepleton,  gent,  (as  is  asserted),  baptised 
13'"  March  [1577-8]. 

1579.  William  Hassall,  son  and  heir  apparent  of  Ralph  Hassall,  Esq.,  and  Margery,  his  wife,  was 

baptised  the  9"'  day  of  the  month  of  October,  Thomas  Wilbraham,  of  Woodhay,  and 
William  Leversage,  of  Whelocke,  Esquires,  and  Isabel  Bromley,  widow,  being  the  god- 
parents and  sponsors  of  the  said  child. 

1580.  Henry  Leversage,  son  of  William  Leversage  [Esquire],  baptised  24"'  April. 

1580.  Richard  Hassall,  son  of  Ralph  Hassall,  baptised  the  7"'  day  of  the  month  of  December, 
Richard  Cotton,  of  Combermeyre,  and  William  Lawton,  Esquires,  and  Alice  Danyell, 
being  the  godparents  and  sponsors  of  the  said  child. 

1 581  [-2].  Ralph  Hassall,  son  of  Ralph  Hassall,  baptised  the  6"i  day  of  the  month  of  March,  Randle 
Davenport,  of  Henbury,  and  Henry  RLalnwaringe,  of  Carrincham,  Esquires,  and  Emma 
\Emota\  Beard,  widow,  being  the  sponsors  and  godparents  of  the  said  child. 
1583.  Mary  Hassall,  daughter  of  Ralph  Hassall,  and  Margery,  his  wife,  baptised  the  16"' day  of 
the  month  of  December,  William  Lawton,  gent.,  Mary  Sneyde,  wife  of  Ralph  Sneyde, 
of  Bradwall  [co.  Stafford],  Esquire,  and  Cicely  Horton,  wife  of  Richard  Horton,  being 
the  godparents  of  the  said  child. 

i583[-4].  Philip  Oldfeeld,  son  of  Philip  Oldfeeld,  and  his  wife,  was  baptised  the  13"'  day  of  the 
month  of  January,  William  Leversage  and  Randle  Stanley,  Esquires,  and  Jane  Shakerley, 
wife  of  Geoffrey  Shakerley,  being  the  godparents  and  sponsors  of  the  said  child. 

1585.  Leversage  Hassall,  son  of  Ralph  Hassall,  baptised  the  26"'  day  of  May,  William  Smethwicke 

and  ^\'illiam  Leversage,  junior,  gentlemen,  and  Jane  Rode,  the  wife  of  Randle  Rode, 
of  Rode,  Esquire,  being  the  godparents  of  the  said  child. 
15S5.  Michael  Ouldfeld,  son  of  Philip  Ouldfeld,  of  Bradwall,  gentleman,  was  baptised  in  the 
chapel  of  Hulme  [Holmes  Chapel]  the  second  day  of  the  month  of  October,  Randle 
Davcniport,  Geoffrey  Shakerley,  Esquires,  and  Katherine  Hanmer,  being  the  godparents 
of  the  said  child. 

1586.  Katherine  Hassall,  daughter  of  Ralph  Hassall,  Esquire,  baptised  the  23"'  day  of  the  month 

of  September,  Richard  Horton,  gentleman,  Katherine  Leversage,  wife  of  W'illiam  Leversage, 
Esquire,  and  RLargery  More,  wife  of  Randle  More,  gentleman,  being  the  godparents 
and  sponsors  of  the  said  child. 

1586.  William  Oldfeld,  son  of  Philip  Oldfeld,  of  Bradwall,  gentleman,  was  baptised  in  the  chapel 
of  Hulme  [Holmes  Chapel]  the  last  day  of  the  month  of  October,  William  Brereton, 
of  Hanford  [Handforth],  Esquire,  and  Henry  Manwaringe,  junior,  gentleman,  and 
Katherine  Cotton,  wife  of  Edward  Cotton,  gentleman,  being  the  godparents  of  the 
said  child. 

158S.  ALargaret  Oldfeld,  daughter  of  Philip  Oldfeld,  Esquire,  and  Ellen,  his  wife,  was  baptised 
in  the  parish  church  of  Brereton,  the  last  day  of  the  month  of  November,  Anno  Domini 
158S,  John  Davemport,  of  Davemport,  Esquire,  the  Lady  Margaret  Brereton,  wife  of  Sir 
William  Brereton,  Knt.,  and  Mistress  Margaret  LXamvaill  [Domville],  wife  of  Gilbert 
Damvaill  [Domville],  Esijuire,  being  the  godparents  and  sponsors  of  the  said  child. 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS.  57 

159  r.     Sibyl  [Si'M/a]  Harden,  daughter  of  Roger  Harden,  of  Thurlcuwod,  bapt.  11"'  June. 

1591.  Thomas   Leversage,   son  and    heir  apparent  of  William   Leversage,  of  Wheelocke,   junior, 

gentleman,  and  Eleanor,  his  wife,  baptised  in  the  parish  church  of  Sandbach,  the  third 
day  of  the  month  of  September,  in  the  33''''  year  of  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  Anno 
Domini  1591,  Thomas  Egerton,  of  Darlinson  (?),  and  Thomas  Wilbraham,  of  Woodhaie, 
Esquires,  and  also  the  Lady  Mary  Cholmeleigh  [Cholmondeley],  wife  of  Sir  Hugh 
Cholmeleigh  [Cholmondeley],  junior.  Knight,  being  the  godparents  and  sponsors  of  the  said 
child. 

1592.  William  Leversage,  son  of  William  Leversage,  junior,  of  Wheelocke,  gentleman,  and  Eleanor, 

his  wife,  was  baptised  in  the  parish  church  of  Sandbach,  the  nineteenth  day  of  the  month  of 
October,  1592,  Sir  William  Brereton,  of  Brereton,  Knt.,  Thomas  Venables,  of  Kinderton, 
Esquire,  and  Katharine  Bromley,  of  Basford,  widow,  being  the  godparents  and  sponsors  of 
the  said  child. 

1593.  Reginald  Leversage,  son  of  William  Leversage,  junior,  gentleman,  was  baptised  in  the  parish 

church  of  Sandbach,  the  seventh  day  of  the  month  of  November,  Randle  Davemport,  of 
Henburie,  and  William  Leversage,  of  Wheelock,  senior.  Esquires,  and  also  Mistress  Rode, 
wife  of  Randle  Rode,  of  Rode,  being  the  sponsors  of  the  said  child. 
i594[-5].  Mary  Leversage,  daughter  of  William  Leversage,  junior,  gentleman,  and  Eleanor,  his  wife, 
was  baptised  in  the  parish  church  of  Sandbach,  the  iS"' day  of  January,  Richard  Walthawe, 
gentleman,  and  Mary  Wilbraham,  and  Jane  Hassall,  being  sponsors. 
1596.  Eleanor  Leversage,  daughter  of  William  Leversage,  gentleman,  and  Eleanor,  his  wife,  was 
baptised  in  the  parish  church  of  Sandbach,  the  30"'  of  August,  Thomas  Leversage,  gentle- 
man, and  Frances  Smethwicke,  wife  of  William  Smethwicke,  gentleman,  and  Jane  Moreton, 
wife  of  William  Moreton,  gentleman,  being  sponsors. 

1598.  Williams"  \_]Villyamus\  Leversage,  son  of  William  Leversage,  gentleman,  was  baptised  the  fifth 

day  of  June,  ^Villiam  Leversage,  William  Bulkeley,  Esquires,  William  Yardley,  William  Lawton, 
William  Moreton,  William  Smeth\vicke,  William  Allen,  William  Hassall,  and  William  Llandyn, 
and  Elizabeth  Delves,  wife  of  [blank  in  original]  Delves,  being  the  godparents  and  sponsors  ol 
the  said  child. 

1599.  Ralph   Leversage,  son  of  William  Leversage,   junior,   gentleman,   baptised    the    30"'  day  of 

October,  Ralph  Sneyde,  of  Bradwall  [co.  Stafford],  and  Ralph  Hassall,  of  Hancalowe, 
Esquires,  and  Margaret  Leversage,  being  godparents  and  sponsors  of  the  said  child. 

1600.  Robert  Leversage,  son  of  William  Leversage,  gentleman,  baptised  the  sixth  day  of  the  month 

of  November,  Thomas  Smith,  Esquire,  Sheriff  of  Cheshire,  and  Ralph  Egerton,  Esquire, 
and  Mary  Ropp  [Rope],  wife  of  Laurence  Ropp,  Esejuire,  being  the  godparents  of  the 
said  child. 
1 60 1 [-2].  Savage  Leversage,  son  of  William  Leversage,  gentleman,  junior,  baptised  the  fifth  day  of 
February,  Sir  John  Savage,  Knt.,  Hugh  Beistone  [Beeston],  Esquire,  and  Mistress  Dorothy 
Massie,  being  the  godparents  and  sponsors  of  the  said  child. 

1603.  Richard,  the  son  of  William  Leversage,  baptised  the  20"'  day  of  June,  John  Downes,  Richard 

Wilbram  [Wilbraham],  gentlemen,  and  Anne  Bellott,  being  the  godparents  and  sponsors  of 
the  said  child. 

1604.  John   Oldfeelde,  son  and  heir  apparent  of  Thomas  Oldfelde,  baptised  the  28"'  day  of  the 

'  This  name  of  Williams  has  caused  some  confusion  in  the  pedigrees  of  Leversage  hitherto  printed,  where  it  has  been  made 
to  appear  that  there  were  two  brothers,  both  called  Willinm.  That  this  son  was  not  only  christened  Williams,  but  also  known 
by  that  name,  is  clear  from  the  will  of  his  father,  William  Leversage,  Esq.,  in  1638,  and  also  from  other  documents.  It  would 
appear  that  his  father  had  got  together  as  many  Williams  as  possible  to  be  present  at  his  christening.  In  these  entries  where 
the  name  William  is  meant  the  Latin  is  always  Willimiis. 


58  SANDBACH. 


month  of  August,  Sir  John  Bowyer,  Knt.,  and  John  Davemport,  Esquire,  anil  Ellen  Oldfeeld, 
wife  of  Philip  Oldfeeld,  senior,  being  the  godparents  of  the  said  child. 
i6o6[-7].>'  Edward  Leversage,  son  of  William  Leversage,  gentleman,  baptised  the  25"'  day  of  the  month 
of  March,  Edward  Phyton  [Fitton],  and  Thomas  Delves,  Esquires,  and  Mary  Brereton, 
daughter  of  Sir  William  Brereton,  Knt.,  being  the  godparents  and  sponsors  of  the  said 
child. 

1608.  Douglas'   Leversage,  daughter  of  William  Leversage,  gentleman,  baptised  the  23''''  day  of 

April,  Ralph  Wilbraham,  of  Namptwich,  gentleman,  Dorothy  Done,  and  Frances  Grosvenor 
being  the  godparents  and  sponsors  of  the  said  child. 

1613.  William  Leversage,  son  and  heir  apparent  of  Thomas  Leversage,  gentleman,  baptised  the  first 
day  of  April,  Sir  Richard  Wilbram  [Wilbraham],  and  Sir  Thomas  Delves,  Knts.,  and  Mary 
Wilbram  [Wilbraham],  widow,  being  the  godparents  and  sponsors  of  the  said  child. 

16 1 6.  Randle  Leversage,  son  of  Thomas  Leversage,  gentleman,  and  Dorothy,  his  wife,  was  baptised 
the  fifteenth  day  of  August,  Sir  Randle  Crewe,  of  Crewe,  Knt.,  and  William  Moreton,  of 
Moreton,  Esquire,  and  Grace  Wilbram  [Wilbraham],  wife  of  Sir  Richard  Wilbraham,  of 
Woodhey,  Knt.,  being  the  godparents  and  sponsors  of  the  said  child. 

^L\RRL\GES. 

i57-[~3]-  Roger  Manwaringe  and  Margaret  Brereton,  married  ij""  January. 

i576[-7].  Ralph  Hassall,  gent.,  and  Margery  Leversage,  married  8"'  January. 

1 58 1.  William  Jenins  [Jennings  ?],  clerk,  and  Anne  Wilson,  married  8"'  April. 

1584.  William  Jacson  and  Ellen  Fradsham,  were  married  2o'i'  December. 

'586[-7].  Laurence  Gervis  [Jervis]  and  Jane  Kynsey,  married  last  day  of  January. 

IS95-  W'illiam  Whittingham  and  Anne  Lownds,  married  16"'  November. 

1595.  Thomas  Brereton  and  Margaret  Poole,  married  29"'  November. 

1597.  Richard  Wood,  clerk,  and  Katherine  Shawe,  married  20"'  April. 

i6o5[-6].  Thomas  Leuersage,  son  and  heir  apparent  of  William  Leuersage,  gentleman,  and  Dorothy 
jNLassie,  were  married  the  second  day  of  March. 

1609.  Ralph  Ridgwaie  and  Elizabeth  Wright,  married  24"'  October. 

16 1 1.  John  Whoretoppe  and  Ann  Wright,  married  18"'  October. 

16 1 2.  AVilliam  Amson,  pastor  of  Brereton,"  and  Elizabeth  Hancocke,  married  3"^  September. 

16 1 3.  OUver  Parker  and  Elizabeth  Wright,  married  i^'  August. 

1 61 6.  Thomas  Stanway  and  Apolonia  Deane,  married  2i»'  October. 

i6i6.  Laurence  ^Voode ''  and  Margaret  Leversage,  married  4"'  December. 

i622[-3].  John  Oldfield  and  Cicely  Leversage  were  married  the  12"'  day  of  January. 

i625[-6].  Thomas  Woode  and  Mary  Knottesford,  were  married  23'''  January. 

i627[-S].  William  Wilbram  and  Catherine  Wright,  married  20"'  March. 

162S.  John  Harden  and  Elizabeth  Delves,  married  29'''  July. 

1 63 5 [-6].  Burstoome  Wedgwood  and  Margaret  Steele,  married  19"'  January. 

i638[-9].  George  Grosvenor  and  Margery  Mainwaring,  married  19"'  March. 

1639.  Hamnit  Warburton  and  Mary  Tudman,  were  married  20"'  August. 

1639.  Thomas  Shawe, /i:7/v'.f//  clerk,  and  Petronilla  Rode  were  married  the  18'''  day  of  September. 

'  This  h.is  been  put  as  the  last  entry  in  1606,  but,   the  date  being  the  25th   March,  it   should  have  been   the  first   entry 
in  1607. 

"  Douglns,  a  very  uncommon  name  for  a  daughter. 

'  William  Amson  was  A'tvfo;- of  Brereton  from  1610  to  1639. 

''  The  Vicar  of  Sandbach  (see  p.  47). 


THE   PARISH    REGISTERS.  59 


i639[  40].     John  Brereton  and  Margaret  Lawton,  were  married  25"'  January. 
t64o[-i].     Robert  Kinsey  and  Margaret  Baskervile,  married  20"'  February. 

1650.     John  Lowndes,'"  gent.,  and  Eleanor  Raven,  were  married  22'"'  November. 

BURIALS. 

i563[-4].  Radus  Ilassall  filius  magistri  Hassall  sepultus  [fuit]  xxj°  ffebr'. 

1564.  Margena  Leu'sage  vidua  sepulta  [fuit]  xix"  die  Julii. 

1566.  Maria  Hassall  filia  magistri  Hassall  sepultus  [fuit]  4°  Dec. 

1567.  Isabella  Leu'sage  filia  W'"'  Leu'sage  arm.  sepulta  [fuit]  vj'°  Decembris. 

1568.  Edwardus  Crewe  sepultus  erat  quarto  die  Octobris. 

1568.''  The  heart  of  Sir  William  Radcliffe,"  K?it.,  was  buried  the  21"  day  of  October. 

iS68[-9].  Ellen  Salisburie  was  buried  the  23'''  day  of  January. 

1572.  Petronilla  Mynshull,  the  wife  of  Randle  Mynshull,  buried  22"'"  April. 

1572.  Alice  Wilbraham,  the  wife  of  William  Wilbraham,  buried  26'''  April. 

1572.  Sir  John  Hurlestone,'' clerk,  buried  the  11"'  day  of  October. 

1577.  A  son  of  Edward  Smethwicke,  gentleman,  buried  27""  March. 

1579.  Peter  Davem[)ort,s  gentleman,  buried  the  seventh  of  May. 

1580.  John  Shawe,  of  the  Crosses,  buried  11'''  June. 

1580.  Thomas  Manwaringe,  was  buried  10"'  August. 

1581.  William  Wedgewood,  a  soldier  {iiiiles),  buried  24"'  April. 
1585.     Hugh  Brereton,''  of  Hassall,  buried  10"'  September. 

1588.  Mistress  Katherine  Leu'sage,  wife  of  William  Leu'sage,  Esquire,  buried  the  last  day  of  May. 
i588[-9].     Elizabeth  Berynton,  wife  of  William  Berinton,  late  of  Bradwnll,  gentleman,  buried   the   15"' 

day  of  February. 

1589.  William  Berinton,  formerly  of  Bradwall,  gentleman,  buried  19"'  October. 

1590.  William  Leu'sage,  son  and  heir  apparent  of  William  Leu'sage,  junior,  buried  i"  September. 
1590.     William  Shawe,  of  the  Park,  the  eldest  [jiiaximus  natu),  buried  9"'  September. 

1590.     John  Langley,  son  of  George  Langley,  buried  16"'  September. 

1598.  William  Hassall,  son  and  heir  apparent  of  Ralph  Hassall,  Esquire,  was  buried  8'''  June. 

1599.  Nicholas  Partington,  killed  by  a  tree  {trunco  occisus),  buried  24"'  November. 

1599.  Joan  Laplove,  spinster,  was  buried  29"'  December. 

1600.  John  Kent,  of  Holliiis,  was  buried  26"'  May. 

1602.     Anne  Brome,  unmarried  {iniiupta),  was  buried  24"'  September. 

■^  This  is  a  clerical  error  for  Robert,  son  and  heir  of  John  Lowndes,  as  sliown  by  the  marriaye  setllement,  dated  igih  Nov. 
1650. 

■*  From  this  date  I  have  translated  the  various  entries. 

'  See  page  6. 

'  The  will  qI  John  Hurkstonc,  clerk,  AtrhcUacon  of  Rychcmonde,  dated  13th  Jan.  1 572,  and  proved  at  Chester,  3rd  Oct. 
1572,  has  been  printed  in  Lancashire  and  Cheshire  IVills  and  Inventories  (Cheth.  Soc,  N.S.,  vol.  iij.  p.  47),  and  it  is  certain 
that  this  John  Hurlestone  is  the  same  as  the  one  mentioned  in  the  text.  The  witnesses  to  this  will  were  John  Smalwoode, 
clerk,  John  Shawe,  clerk  [the  curate  o(  .Sandbach],  and  John  Berington.  He  speaks  of  John  Hurlestone  his  son,  then  an 
apprentice  ;  his  daughter,  Elizabeth  Turner,  and  her  husband,  his  son-in-law,  Alexander  Turner;  his  son,  Thomas  Hurlestone; 
Anne  Turner,  daughter  of  Alexander  Turner,  and  he  appoints  Mr.  Richard  Hurlestone,  Esquire,  and  the  said  Alexander 
Turner,  executors.  The  inventory  of  his  effects  is  thus  headed: — "A  true  full  and  perfecte  Inventorie  of  all  the  goodz  & 
cattails,  w'''  weare  of  M'  John  Hurlestone,  Gierke,  Late  Archedeacon  of  Rychemonde  deceased  praised  the  xx"'  dale  of 
Octobre,  Anno  Dili  1572,  By  John  Sniahvood,  clcrke,  Deane  of  the  middlewiche  Deanrie  [/.t-.,  Rural  Deanery],  RicharJe 
Smithe,  clerke,  pson  of  Brereton,  John  Shawe,  nowe  curate  at  Sandbache,  wittim  yorke,  Hugfie  Dale,  John  Berington."  The 
total  was  only  14''  [;£'i4],  of  which  "  his  Books  by  estymaton  "  were  valued  at  los.  What  had  brought  him  to  live  at 
.Sandbach  is  not  now  known. 

8  There  is  no  will  of  any  Peter  Davenport  of  this  date  now  at  Chester. 

■■  He  was  probably  descended  from  the  Hugh  Brereton,  of  Hassall,  referred  to  in  the  account  of  the  ancient  stained  glass 
formerly  in  the  church  {see  p.  30).     His  will  was  proved  at  Chester,  6"  Sept.,  15S5. 

I    2 


6o 


SANDBACH. 


1612. 
i6i3[-4]. 
i6i5[-6]. 
i6.5[-6]. 

1617. 

1618. 
i62  7[-S]. 
i627[-8]. 

1630. 

1630. 

1633- 

1633- 

1633- 

1636. 

1636. 

1642. 

1643 
i643[-4] 

1^45 
i646[-7] 

1647, 

164S 

1648. 

1649. 

1649. 
i649[-5o' 
165 1  [-2]. 

I6s2. 


A  son  of  John  Shawe,  of  Stauwaie  house,  not  baptised,  buried  28"'  June. 

Randle  Proudlove,  of  Couldmosse,  buried  15"'  January. 

Anne  Lawton,  daughter  of  John  Lawton,  of  Winteley,  buried  18'''  Januarj-. 

John  Chill,  webstar,  buried  27"'  January. 

Margaret  Shakerley,  daughter  of  Peter  Shakerley,  gent.,  buried  10'''  August. 

John  Lawton,  of  U'inteley,  was  buried  the  last  day  of  October. 

Thomas  Delves,'  of  Middlewich,  was  buried  20"'  February. 

Catherine  Buckley,  daughter  of  John  Buckley,  buried  19'''  March. 

Laurence  W'oode,'  Vicar,  buried  the  twenty-first  of  August. 

ALargaret  Woode,J  widow,  and  her  son,  buried  17"'  September. 

Cicely  Silitoe,  wife  of  Randle  Silitoe,  was  buried  6"'  September. 

George  Duckenfield,  son  of  Edward  Duckenfield,  buried  30*''  October. 

Randle  Poole,  of  Haslington,  buried  7""  November. 

Richard  Shawe,  of  Oakes,  buried  lo""  April. 

John  Shawe,  clerk,  was  buried  26"'  day  of  May. 

Catherine   Alainwaringe,   daughter  of   George   ALainwaring,  gentleman,   buried    30'''   day  of 

December. 
^Villiam  Shawe,  of  Dingle,  buried  28"'  November. 

A  certain  wandering  soldier  (jniles  quidam  gregarius)  was  buried  8"'  day  of  February. 
Richard  Steele,  gentleman,  was  buried  2'">  day  of  June. 
Dorothy  Pickeringe,  wife  of  Richard  Pickering,  buried  10'''  ALarch. 
Richard  Pickerin  [sic)  was  buried  14"'  September. 
Thomas  Moulson,  Esquire,  was  buried  the  seventh  day  of  October.     (This  entry  is  written  in 

larger  characters  than  the  others.)*^ 
John  Shawe,  son  of  John  Shawe,  of  Sidnall,  buried  30"'  November. 
Anne  Hocknell,  daughter  of  William  Hocknell,  buried  21^'  September. 
Frances  Swettenham,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Swettenham,  gentleman,  was  buried  the  31^'  October. 

Anne  Steele,  widow,  gentlewoman,  was  buried  14"'  ALarch. 
ALargery,  wife  of  Richard  Lowndes,  gent.,  buried  7"'  January. 
Elizabeth  ALainwaring,  daughter  of  John   Mainwaring.  gentleman,  was  buried  the  15"'  day  of 

September. 


BAPTISMS. 


i6[9[- 


1623 

i624[-5} 

1627 

I  63  ,[-2] 
16;^ 


Frances  Leversage,  daughter  of  Thomas  Leversage,  gentleman,  and  Dorothy,  his  wife,  was 
baptised  the  15'''  day  of  the  month  of  February,  Roger  Wilbram  [Wilbraham],  of  Namptwich, 
gentleman,  Frances  Smethwicke,  wife  of  William  Smethwicke,  gentleman,  and  .\nne  Oldfeild, 
wife  of  Thomas  Oldfeild,  Esquire,  being  the  godparents  and  sponsors  of  the  said  child. 

John  Shawe,  son  of  John  Shawe,  of  Burstamc,  baptised  29'^'  May. 

Joseph  Gwen,  son  of  Anthony  Gwen,  baptised  13"'  Februar)'. 

William  Gwen,  daughter  of  Anthony  Gwen,  baptised  14"'  October. 

Randle  Weld,  son  of  John  Weld,'  baptised  11"'  March. 

Philip  ALanwaringe,  son  of  George  Alanwaring,  baptised  13"'  September. 


'  Tlic  will  of  Thomas  Delves,  of  Sproston,  162S,  is  at  Chester. 
'    See-  their  marriage  under  Marriages,  1616. 

I*  In  the  Nantwich  Register  his  burial  is  thus  recorded  : — "  164S,  Oct.  7, 
.S>c  the  inscription  on  his  tombstone,  p.  39,  and  an  account  of  hi 
'  The  first  Weld  entry  iu  this  Register. 


Mail 
under  Wheelock. 


■  Thomas  Moulson,  buried  at  Sandbach. 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 


6i 


William  Malpas,  son  of  William  Malpas,  baptised  29"'  May. 

Henry  Mainwaring,  son  of  George  Mainwaring,  gentleman,  was  baptised  20"'  August. 

Margaret  Anderton,  daughter  of  William  Anderton,  clerk,  was  baptised  10*''  day  of  November. 

Edward  Mainwaringe,  son  of  George  Mainwaringe,  gentleman,  baptised  22'"' December. 

George  Parker,  son  of  William  Parker,  baptised  29"'  August. 

Anne  Wilbraham,  daughter  of  Randle  Wilbraham,  baptised  25"'  April. 

Timothy  Hamon,  son  of  Th.  Hamon,  clerk,  baptised  S"*  May. 

Francis  Kinnaston,  son  of  Arthur  Kinnaston,™  gentleman,  was  baptised  the  seventeenth  day 

of  October. 
Thomas  Whittingham,  son  of  Thomas  Whittingham,"  gentleman,  was  baptised  the  nineteenth 

day  of  October. 
Mary  Hulme,  son  of  John  Hulme,  clerk,  baptised  27"'  January. 

Thomas  Swettenham,  son  of  Thomas  Swettenham,"  gentleman,  was  baptised  15"'  October. 
Richard  Blackeamore,  son  of  William  Blackeamore,  baptised  29"'  July. 
Audrey  Lownds,  daughter  of  John  Lownds,  gent.,  baptised  4"'  November. 
Philip  Whittingham,  son  of  Owen  Whittingham,P  baptised  7"'  April. 

John  Lowndes,  son  of  Robert  Lowndes,  of  Overton,  gent.,i  was  baptised  the  4"'  day  of  July. 
Christopher  Lowndes,  son  of  John  Lowndes, 1  gent.,  baptised  27"'  August. 
Sai-a  Kinaston,  daughter  of  Arthur  Kinaston,™  gentleman,  was  baptised  the  first  of  November. 


1636 

1637 
1639 
1639 

1641 
1642 

1645 
1647 

1647 

1 647  [-8] 
1648 
1649 
1649 
1650, 
1652 
1652, 
1652 

In  1653  is  this  heading  : — 

Birthes  of  Children  from  the  Twenty  Ninth  day  of  September   1653,   Accordinge   to  the 
purporte  of  an  Acte  of  Parliam'  made  in  the  same  yeare. 
The  entries  are  all  in  English,  in  the  following  form  : — 

1653.  Anne    Raven,    y'^   daughter   of    W™    Raven,    gent,    was   borne    at    Audley   y^'    30"'    day  of 

November. 

1654.  W""  Raven,  yi=  sonne  &  heire  apparant  of  W""  Raven,i  gent.,  was  born  y"  13"'  of  November. 

1656.  Thomas,  the  sonne  of  John  Furnivall,  gent.,  borne  y''  3o'i'  day  of  December. 
i656[-7].     Sarah,  yi=  daughter  of  W™  Shawe,  o/y'  Lake,  borne  y*^  Ninth  day  of  ffebruary. 

1657.  Robert,  y"  sonne  of  Roberte  Lowndes,  of  Smallwood,i  gent,  borne  y"  21"'  day  of  June. 
1662.''     Catherine  Mouseley,  daughter  of  Henry  Mouseley,  was  baptised  21''  December. 

1664.  Richard,  son  of  Francis  Wells,^  baptised  20"'  July. 

1665.  John,  son  of  William  Culcheth,")  baptised  3"'  October. 
1665.     Shalcrosse,  son  of  Henry  Mouseley,  baptised  6"^  October. 

1 68 1.     Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Hartstongue  Mainwaringe,*  baptised  the  7"'  April. 
i692[-3].     Randle,  son  of  Randle  Jackson,  of  Bechton  House,^  baptised  the  tenth  of  March. 

"  Arthur  Kinaston,  of  Dodleston,  co.  Salop,  Esq.,  had  married  Mary,  daughter  of  William  Raven,  of  Elvvorth.  (i'tv  that 
pedigree. ) 

"  The  family  of  Whittingham,  of  Moresbarrow,  in  the  adjacent  parish  of  Middlewich,  is  one  of  old  standing  in  the  county. 

"  This  Thomas  Swettenham  had  a  lease  of  Bradwall,  where  he  was  then  living.  See  his  burial  in  1672,  and  that  of  his 
wife  in  1649. 

P  Another  Philip,  son  of  Owen  Whittingham,  was  baptised  the  27th  June,  1652. 

1  There  are  other  entries  in  the  Registers  relating  to  these  families. 

'  In  1660  the  entries  are  again  in  Latin,  but  here  translated. 

'  The  first  Welles  entry. 

'  Hartstongue  Jlainwaring  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Edward  Mainwaring,  of  Wibunbury,  co.  Chester  (of  the  Carincham 
family),  by  his  wife  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Henry  Hartstongue,  of  Westminster,  and  was  baptised  at  Goostrey,  l6th  May,  165S. 

"  "  Randle  Jackson,  son  of  Randle  Jackson,  of  Bechton  House,  Gent.,  and  of  Katherine,  his  wife,  daughter  of  Charles 
Manwaring,  of  Sandbach,  Gent.,  and  Katherine,  his  wife,  was  born  March  9,  i692[-3]."  (Old  Diary.)  This  Randle  Jackson, 
the  son,  became  afterwards  a  Doctor  of  Medicine,  and  lived  ut  Manchester.     He  died  there,  9th  June,  1729. 


62  SANDBACH. 


In  1695,  this  heading  occurs  in  the  Register  : — 

Christcninges  of  Children  from  the  first  day  of  May  1695  :  Accordinge  to  the  purporte  of 
an  Actc  of  Parliam'  made  in  the  sixth  and  scavcnth  }-care  of  the  Reign  of  Kingc  William  the 
third. 

1695.     Anne,  daughter  of  Joseph  Rocke,  gentleman,  baptised  25  November. 

i698[-9].     Margaret,  daughter  of Wallis,  corporall  in  Capt.  Leveson's  troop,  in  Colonell   Lloyd's 

Regiment  of  Dragoons.     Baptised  4"'  March. 

MARRIAGES. 

These  arc  prefaced  by  the  following  heading  : — 

Publications  of  Marriages,  and  Marriages  from  the  Twenty  Ninth  day  of  September  1653  : 
Accordinge  to  the  purporte  of  an  Acte  of  Parliamente  made  in  the  same  j'eare.'' 
i653[-4j.     Richard  Lowndes,  of  Smalwood,  in  the  pish  of  Astbury,  yeoman,  and  Amy  Broome,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Broome,  of  Betchton,  Spinster,  were  published  in  the  Church  Three   Lordes 
dayes,  That  is  to  say,  the  firste,  the  eight,  and  the  fifteenth   of  January.     And  the  said 
Richard  Lowndes  and  Amy  Broome  were  married  the  seaventeenth  day  of  January."' 
1654.     George  Twemlowe,  y''  sonne   of  John  Twemlowe,  of  Betchton,  yeoman,  and  Mary  Lingard, 
of  Arclid,  spinster,  were  published  three  Markett  dayes  that  is  to  say,  the  20"^  day  of  July, 
and  the  27"'  of  July,  and  the  s'""  day  of  August.     And  the  said    George  Twemlowe  and 
Mary  Lingard  were  married  the  seaventh  day  of  August."' 
1656.     Joseph  Cope,  clerk.  Minister  at  Sandbach,  and  Margreate  Brooke,  of  the  same  town,  spinster, 
were  published  in   the  markett,"  y"   iS"',  2^'^,  and  31=*  days  of  October.     And   the  said 
Joseph  Cope  and  Margreate  Brooke  were  married  the  sixth  day  of  November. 
i658[-9].     John  Egerton  and  Eleanor  Ridgway  were  married  the  Twelvth  day  of  ffebruary. 
i662[-3].!'    Laurence  Rowe  and  Elizabeth  ffarington  were  married  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  February. 
1667.      Randle  Rhode  and  Anne  Broome  were  married  the  eleventh  day  of  April. 
1679.     Thomas  Hulse,'-  gent.,  and  Mary  Raven,  daughter  of  William  Raven,  gent.,  were  married  the 
twentj-fourth  day  of  April  by  the  authority  of  a  dispensation  or  licence  granted  by  the 
Ecclesiastical  Court. 
i679[-8o].    George   Malbone  and    Mary  Brooke   were   married  the   twenty-second   day   of  January,  by 

licence,  &c. 
i6Si[-2].      William  Booth,  gentleman,  and  Hanna  Tompson  were  married  the  thirteenth  day  of  January 
— the  banns  being  published. 
1683.     Laurence  Stones  and  Margaret  Rauenscrofte  were  married  the  seventh  day  of  July,  by  licence, 
Szc,  by  Thomas  ffalkner,  surrogate. 
i69o[-i].     John  Kelsall,  of  the  City  of  Chester,  Gentleman,  and  Mary  Lowndes  were  married  the  twenty- 
third  day  of  February,  by  licence. 
i6gi[-2].     Samuel  Drinkewater,  Gentleman,  and  Anne  Hulme,  were  married  the  last  day  of  January,  by 
licence. 

'  By  this  Act  of  Parlicimcnt,  all  marriages  were  made  purely  civil  contracts.  Publication  of  banns  were  to  be  made  either 
in  the  parish  church  on  three  Sundays  or  at  the  Market  Cross  on  three  market-days,  and  the  partiea  were  subsequently  married 
by  a  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

»■  The  names  of  the  Justices  of  the  Peace  who  performed  these  marriages  are  not  given  in  this  Register. 

'  It  is  a  very  noteworthy  sign  of  the  times  that  even  the  then  Vicar  or  Minister  had  his  banns  published  at  the  Market 
Cross,  instead  of  in  the  church. 

y  In  1660  the  entries  are  again  in  Latin,  but  here  translated. 

•  Father  of  John  Hulse,  the  founder  of  the  llulsean  Prizes,  &c.     (.i'lV  the  pedigree  of  Raven,  &c.) 


THE   PARISH    REGISTERS.  63 

1693.  Joseph  Rock,  Gentleman,  and  Elizabeth  Hayes  were  married  the  nineteenth  day  of  April,  by 

licence. 
i693[-4].     John  Welles,  gentleman,  and  Elizabeth  Bosnell  were  married  the  first  day  of  January,  by 
licence. 

1694.  Richard  Duncalfe  and  Constance  Truhy  were  married  the  twenty-third  day  of  May,  by  licence. 

The  following  heading  occurs  here  : — 

Publications  of  Marriages  And  Marriages  from  the  first  day  of  May  1695  Accordingc  to 
the  purporte  of  an  Acte  of  Parliam',  made  in  the  si.xth  and  scaventh  ycarc  of  the  Reigne  of  Kiiigc 
William  the  third. 

1697.     A\'illiam  Jackson,  Gentleman,   and   Margery  Moore"  were  married  the  twenty-fourth  day  of 
July,  by  licence. 

BURIALS. 

The  following  heading  occurs  here  : — 

Burialls  from  the  Twenty  Ninth  day  of  September  1653,  Accordinge  to  the  purporte  of  an 
Acte  of  Parliamente  made  the  same  yeare. 

1653.  Elizabeth  Moseley  was  buried  the  seaventh  day  of  December. 

1654.  Margreate,  y'  wife  of  Joseph  Cope,  Minister,''  was  buried  y'"  31^'  day  of  December. 
i655[-6].     Thomas  Baily,  Schoolm'',  buried  the  eleaventh  day  of  ffebruary. 

1658.  Awdrey,  the  wife  of  William  Leversage,  Esq.,  was  buried  the  Twentith  day  of  December. 

i65S[-9].  Ellen  Smallwood,  £?/  IVinfeley,  widowe,  buried  the  7"'  of  March. 

1660.'^  Joan  Nellams,  Gentlewoman,  buried  28"'  May. 

1660.  Humphrey  Whittinghain,  of  Moorsborrough,  buried  20"'  November. 

1664.  Eleanor  Weld,  widow,  was  buried  the  sixth  day  of  April. 

1664.  Margaret  Mainwaringe  was  buried  the  twentieth  day  of  May. 

1665.  Mary,  daughter  of  William  Paschall,  doctor  {nudici),  buried  2"''  April. 
1665.  William  Paschall,''  doctor  {tnedicus),  was  buried  30"'  December. 

1668.  William  Leuersage,  of  Betchton,  Esquire,  was  buried  the  eleventh  day  of  July. 

1672.  Thomas  Swettenham,'=  Gentleman,  was  buried  the  third  day  of  June. 

1673.  Mary  Weld,  Gentlewoman,  was  buried  the  twenty  fifth  day  of  April. 
1673.  Francis  Swettenham,'  gentleman,  was  buried  12"'  September. 

1678.  Mary,  daughter  of  Charles  Mainwaring,  Gentleman,  buried  10'''  July. 

1680.  Thomas  Walker,  Gentleman,  buried  16"'  September. 

i687[-8].  Richard  Horseman, s  Gentleman,  buried  17"' January. 

1688.  John  Weld,  Gentleman,  buried  23'"''  October. 

1691.  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Rock,''  gentleman,  buried  25ti'  March. 

1691.  Catherine,  daughter  of  Charles  Mainwaring,  buried  22"''  September. 

'  Mr.  William  Jackson  was  afterwards  Clerk  of  the  Peace  [sec  under  1722,  p.  69),  and  she  was  the  daughter  of 
George  Moor,  of  Sandbach,  merchant. 

''  This  was  his  first  wife.     He  married  again  in  1656  {see  Marriages). 

"^  In  1660  the  entries  are  again  in  Latin,  but  here  translated. 

''  There  is  no  will  of  William  Paschall  now  at  Chester. 

'  Thomas  Swettenham  had  a  long  lease  of  Bradwall  Hall,  and  lived  there.  His  will  at  Chester  is  dated  20th  Feb., 
1659-60,  and  was  proved  3rd  June,  1672. 

'  Francis  Swettenham,  son  of  the  above-named  Thomas. 

"  There  is  no  will  of  Richard  Horseman  now  at  Chester. 

''  She  must  have  been  his  first  wife,  as  he  married  Elizabeth  Hayes  in  1693. 


64  SANDBACH. 


1692.  Catherine,  the  wife  of  John  Stonier,  was  buried  14"'  April. 

1693.  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Joseph  Rock,  gentleman,  buried  10'''  November. 

1694.  Randle  Jackson,'  gentleman,  buried  12""  June. 
i694[-5].     John  Stonier,  gentleman,  buried  20*^  February. 

This  heading  occurs  here  : — 

Burialls  from    the    first   day  of   May,   1695   Accordinge    to    the  purporte   of  an  Acte   of 
Parliam'  made  in  the  sixth  and  seaventh  yeare  of  the  Reign  of  Kinge  William  the  third. 
i696[-7].     Joseph  Rocke,J  gentleman,  was  buried  27*''  January. 

1698.     John,  son  of  Henry  Moseley,  of  Sandbach,  buried  4"''  December. 

End  of  Volume  I. 
Volume  II.  of  the  Sandbach  Registers  is  a  thick  folio  volume,  lettered  on  the  back  : — 

Baptisms  1699  to  1764 
Marriages  1699  to  1753 
Burials  1699  to  1764. 
On  the  first  fl)--leaf  is  this  memorandum  : — 

"  An  ace'  of  the  Anniversary  Sermons 
Left  to  be  preached  in  the  parish  Church 
of  Sandbach. 

Hugh  Whelocks  on  the  ffriday  next  before  Midsummer 
M"'  Francis  Welles  on  the  2o">  day  of  August. 
M"  Boughys  the  7"'  of  November 
M''  Thomas  Moores  on  the  6*''  Feb. 
Mrs  Margaret  Parrots  the  26"'  April." 

It   may  be  added   here  that   the  following  is  a  copy  of  a  paper  now  (18S6)  framed  and 
hanging  in  the  vestry  of  the  Church  : — 

Annual  Sermons  |  to  be  preached  ix  the  |  Parish  Church,  Sandbach. 
February  6'\     Moor's  Sermon,  paid  from  Arclid  Hall.     Minister  £^\.  10.     Clerk  2s.  6d.     Poor  los. 
April  26*''.     Parrott's  Sermon,  paid  from  Bolt's  Green.     Minister  £^2.     Clerk  los, 

>  Wheelock's  Sermon,  paid  by  Ch.  Warden.     Minister  iis.     Clerk  is.  6d. 
Midsummer.   ) 

August  20*''.     Well's  Sermon,  paid  by  Ch.  Warden.     Minister  los.     Clerk  2s.  6d.     Poor  3s.  6d. 

November  7"'.     Boffey's  [Boughey's]  Sermon,  [paid]  by  Overseers.     Minister  los.     Clerk,  is.     Poor 

^12.  9.  o. 

Further  particulars  of  some  of  these  gifts  will  be  found   in  the  account  of  the   Charities 
postca. 

BAPTISMS. 
The  following  heading  occurs  here  : — 

A  true  and  an  exact  Register  of  all  children  Baptised  and  of  the  Births  of  such  children  as 
were  not  Baptised  from  the  26  day  of  March  in  the  year  1699,  together  with  the  names  of  the 
fathers.  Guardians  or  Curators  of  such  children,  the  place  of  their  abode  and  the  degree  or  quality, 
according  to  which  the  Duty  for  the  Severall   Births  ought  to  be  paid  according  to  the  purport 

'  He  was  of  Betchton  House,  and  married  Katherine,  daughter  of  Charles  Mainwaring,  of  Sandbach,  c.  1691. 

J  There  is  no  will  of  any  Joseph  Rock  at  Chester,  or  of  any  person  01  that  name  till  late  in  the  eighteenth  century. 


THE   PARISH    REGISTERS. 


65 


of  an  act  of  Parliament  made   in   the   ninth  and   tenth  of  William  the   3'^,  Entituled  an  act  for 
preventing  frauds  and  abuses  in  the  charging,  collecting  and  paying  the  Duties  upon  Births  &:c. 

The  entries  are  now  in  English,  the  letters  D  being  put  for  daughter  and  S  for  son.    I  ha\-c 
extended  the  entries  a  little,  putting  "  daughter  "  for  D  and  "  son  "  for  S  : — 

Jane,  Daughter  of  James  Anderson,  Apothecary,  Sandbach. 

Anne,  daughter  of  William  Jackson,'^  Sandbach,  gentleman. 

Margarett,  daughter  of  William  Jackson,  Sandbach,  gentleman. 

Anne- Elizabeth'  Wrench,  daughter  of  Randle  Wrench,  Brad  wall. 

Hannah,  daughter  of  William  Jackson,  Sandbach,  gentleman. 

Mary,  daughter  of  Thomas  Broome,  d  the  Brook,  Betchton. 

Alice,  daughter  of  William  Jackson,  gentleman,"  Sandbach. 

John,  son  of  John  Furnivall,  gentleman,-  Betchton. 

Joseph,"  son  of  Joseph  Cumberbatch,  Sandbach. 

Thomas,  son  of  John  Twemlow,  of  y'  Green,  Arclid. 

Hannah,  daughter  of  Peter  Wood,  gent.,  Sandbach. 

John,  son  of  John  Shawe,  Watchmaker,  Sandbach. 

Mary,  the  daughter  of  Samuel  Watkis,  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

William,  the  son  of  M"'  Ofley,  Wheelock. 

William,  son  of  Samuell  Watkis,  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

Isaac,  son  of  Isaac  Goodwin,!'  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

John,  son  of  John  Jervise,  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

Elizabeth,    daughter   of  Isaac   Goodwin,    gentleman,    and   Mary,    his   wife, 

Sandbach. 
Mar)',   daughter  of  John  Jerv'is,   of  the   Mill   Hill,   gentleman,  and  Grace, 

his  wife,i  Sandbach. 
Anne,"'  daughter  of  Thomas  Hulse,  gentleman,  of  Ehvorth,  and  Anne,  his 

wife,  Sandbach. 
Mary,   daughter  of  James  Holbrook,  Barber  and   Wigg  maker,  and   Anne, 

his  wife,  Namptwich. 
John,  son  of  William  Furnivall,  gentleman,  and  Margery,  his  wife,  Sandbach. 
Hannah,  daughter  of  Robert    Plant,   ivood  collier,^  and  Hannah,   his  wife, 

Betchton. 
Anne,  daughter  of  Peter  Furnivall,    gentleman,    and    Margaret    [his    wife], 

Sandbach. 
Jane,  daughter  of  Francis  Parrott,  Tobacconist,  and  Jane  [his  wife],  Sandbach. 


1699. 

April  16. 

1700. 

April  5. 

I70I. 

April  28. 

I70I. 

May  5. 

1702. 

August  1 1. 

1702. 

December  11. 

1706." 

'  August  9. 

1708. 

May  20. 

1713- 

August  30. 

I7I4. 

October  19. 

1714-15- 

January  26. 

1716. 

July  20. 

I7I8. 

June  13. 

„ 

December  13 

i7i9[-2o]. 

February  2. 

1720. 

November  16. 

1721. 

December  5. 

I722[-3]. 

January  27. 

i722[-3]- 

February  13. 

1723. 

December  2. 

1724. 

September  14. 

I724[-S]- 

February  8. 

„ 

February  14. 

March 


March  19. 


**  She  was  buried  at  Sandbach  on  nth  May,  1722,  as  '*Anne  daughter  of  William  Jackson,  deceased,  gentleman,  late 
Clerk  of  the  Peace  for  this  County  .and  Margery  his  wife,  Sandb.ach." 

'  The  first  entry  of  a  double  name.  "■  This  year,  John  Kent,   TobaccoinsI,  was  one  of  the  two  Churchwardens. 

°  Buried  at  Sandbach,  27th  Oct.  1710. 

°  He  subsequently  became  Town  Clerk  of  Macclesfield,  and  died  in  1764.     See  his  tombstone,  p.  43. 

P  Buried  at  Sandbach,  iSth  Sept.  1722. 

1  Another  daughter,  Grace,  was  baptised  27th  Dec.  1729.  The  daughter,  Mary,  and  her  mother  were  buried  at  .Sand- 
bach on  the  following  day  :  "  28  Dec  1729,  Grace  wife  of  John  Jervis  Esquire,  Bradwall ;  Mary  daughter  of  John  Jervis  Esq. 
and  Grace  his  wife."     "  Grace,  daughter  of  John  Jervis  Esq  and  Grace  his  wife,  Bradwall,  was  buried  2  Nov.  1730." 

'  Sister  of  John  Hulse,  the  founder  of  the  Hulsean  Lectureship,  &c. ;  see  postea.  She  married  ....  Welch,  and  erected 
the  mural  monument  to  her  parents,  the  inscription  of  which  is  given  on  p.  37.  Another  daughter,  Mary,  was  baptised, 
2ist  Oct.  1725  ;  a  son,  Samuel,  was  bapt.  on  nth  Jan.,  bur.  15th  Jan.  1726  ;  a  daughter,  Joannah,  bapt.  29th  May,  1728  ; 
a  son,  Webb,  bapt.  14th  April,  bur.  there  17th  April,  1731. 

'  Probably  a  charcoal-burner.     Another  "wood-collier"  occurs  in  172S  in  the  Baptisms,  and  in  1726  in  the  Burials. 

K 


66 


SANDBACH. 


•7?4[-s]-  March  19. 

,,  March  20. 

1725.  June  22. 
„  June  24. 

„  September  5. 

„  November  24. 

1726.  April  13. 
,,  April  22. 

„  December  10. 

1727."'  April  8. 

i727[-S].  February  16. 

„  March  6. 

1728.  August  7. 

„  November  22. 

„  December  29. 

1731-2.  February  27. 

«732[-3]-  January  23. 

1734.  April  29. 

1736.  April  20. 

„  October  i. 

i736[-7].  March  10. 

i74o[-i].  January  9. 

1741.  May  18. 


Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Jervis,  gentleman,  and  Grace,  his  wife,  Bradwall. 
Anna-Prima,  daughter  of  Thomas  Ellison,'  gentleman,  and  Sarah  [his  wife], 

Sandbach. 
George,  son  of  George  Wilkinson,  of  the  City  of  London,  Haberdasher,  and 

Jane,  his  wife,  Sandbach. 
Margaret,   daughter  of  William    Robinson,   icriting  master,  and    Ellen,  his 

wife,"^  Sandbach. 
Jonathan,  son  of  Jonathan  Welch,  Seaman,  and  Mary,  his  wife,  of  Preston, 

in  Lancashire. 
Elizabeth,   daughter   of  Nicholas    Beale,    Salt   officer,   and   Sarah,   his   wife, 

Whelock. 
William,  son  of  Peter  Furnivall,  gentleman,  and  Margaret,  his  wife,  Sandbach. 
Ralph,  son  of  John  Oakes,  Attorney,  and  Mary,  his  wife,  Sandbach. 
Margaret,  daughter  of  William  Furnivall,  gentleman,  and  Margery,  his  wife,*' 

Sandbach. 
Marger)',  daughter  of  Peter  Furnivall,  gentleman,  and   ALargaret,   his  wife, 

Sandbach. 
John,  son  of  John  Oakes,  gentleman,  and  Mary,  his  wife,''  Sandbach. 
Olive,    daughter   of    Tho=   Jackson,    Apothecary,    and    Elizabeth,    his   wife, 

Sandbach. 
John,  son  of  John  Wilson,  gentleman,  and  Margaret,  his  wife,^  Sandbach. 
John,  son  of  Ralph  Maulkin,  7vood  collier,  and  Hannah,  his  wife,  Sandbach. 
Elizabeth,   daughter  of  William    Lowndes,^  Doctor,    and    Isabel!,    his  wife, 

Sandbach. 
Alice,  daughter  of  Thomas  Leech,  surgeon,  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife,  Sandbach. 
ALiry,   daughter    of  Carlos   Wedgwood,    surgeon,    and    Elizabeth,    his   wife, 

Sandbach. 
Thomas,  son  of  M'  William  Day,"  Apothecary,  and  Ann,  his  wife,  Sandbach. 
Sara,  daughter  of  M''  William  Leadbeater''  and  Sarah,  his  wife,  Sandbach. 
John,  son  of  Mr.  John  Wilson,"^  and  Adra,  his  wife,  Sandbach. 
Jane,  daughter  of  John  Jarvis,  Esq.,  and  Mary,  his  wife,  Bradwall. 
Mary,  daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  Twemlow,''  surgeon,  Sandbach. 
William,   son    of  James    Whitehead,  gentleman,   and    Mary,   his  wife,   [of] 

Wybunbury  parish. 


'  He  is  styled  "clerk  "  in  1726.     Sci'  p.  50. 

"  Another  Margaret,  daughter  of  the  same  parents,  w.is  buried  at  Sandbach  25th  Sept.  1722. 

'  Other  children  of  William  and  Margery  Furnivall  were,  3fary,  bapt.  24th  July,  1728  ;  Elhabelh,  bapt.  5th  June,  1730, 
bur.  there  9th  May,  1737  ;  IV'iUiain,  bapt.  loth  April,  1732,  bur.  there  12th  Oct.  1740;  Margery  and  Ann,  bapt.  8th  March, 
l733[-4];  Sara,  Impt.  gth  June,  1736;  EUzabdh,  bapt.  24lh  Nov.  1738,  bur.  there  3rd  Nov.  \-]6,o;  John,  b.apt.  30th  April, 
1741  ;  Ilannali,  bapt.  20th  Nov.  1743;    U'illiaiii,  bapt.  20th  Jan.  1748. 

"  This  year  the  following  trades  are  mentioned  :   webster,  feltmaker,  maltster,  dyer,  and  waller. 

^  Other  children  of  John  and  Mary  Oakes  were,  Thomas,  bapt.  ...  P"eb.  i729[-3o]  ;  Sarah,  bapt.  i6th  M.iy,  1747; 
John,  bapt.  19th  May,  1749. 

>■  Margaret,  wife  of  John  Wilson,  gentleman,  Sandbach,  was  buried  there  3rd  Dec.  172S,  and  the  child  John  was  buried 
there  1st  Jan.  following. 

'  He  is  also  called  "surgeon"  in  1732.  The  following  entries  of  his  children  also  occur  : — Frances,  bapt.  12th  May,  1732; 
John,  bapt.  19th  May,  1734  ;  Mary,  bapt.  29th  Sept.  173S";  Elizabdh,  bapt.  25th  May,  1740. 

•  Sec  under  Betchton,  in  the  pedigree  of  Jackson,  of  Bostock  House. 

''  There  are  other  entries  relating  to  this  family. 

'  Other  children  of  Mr.  John  Wilson,  altornuy,  were,  Robert,  bur.  29th  April,  173S  ;  IVilliam,  bapt.  13th  April,  1739  ; 
Robert,  bapt.  1st  Jan.  i74o[-i]. 


THE   PARISH    REGISTERS. 


67 


,748[-9], 

'75i[-'] 

1752 

1754 


175s 
1757 
1761 
1762 


February  19.  Sarah,  daughter  of  Francis  Comberbach,''  [of]  Lichfield. 

February  26.  Ann,  daughter  of  Thomas  Wright,^  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

April  12.  Sarah,  daughter  of  William  Ford,  Hassall. 

April  28.  Mary,  daughter  of  Ralph  Oakes,  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

September  27.  John,  son  of  Joseph  Skerratt,  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

October  22.  George,  son  of  Edward  Salmon, '  gentleman,  Hassall. 

July  29.  John,  son  of  Thomas  Cartwright,s  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

December  26.  Ann,  daughter  of  William  Hilditch,  surgeon,  Sandbach. 

January  9.  Ann,  daughter  of  John  Hilditch,  Brick  house,  Sandbach. 


MARRIAGES. 
The  following  heading  occurs  here  : — 

A  true  and  an  exact  Register  of  Marriages  from  the  26  of  March  1699  together  with  the 
Quality  of  the  Respective  Husbands  and  the  place  of  their  abode :  according  to  the  purport  of  a 
late  act  of  Parliament  made  in  the  9"'  and  lo*''  of  William  the  3*^  Entituled  an  act  for  preventing 
of  frauds  and  abuses  in  chargeing,  collecting  and  paying  the  Duties  on  Marriages,  &:c. 

1699.  April  20.  Edwarde  Morton,  of  the  parish  of  Over,  in  the  county  of  Chester,  gentleman, 

and  Martha  Low,  de  Midlewich,  in  same  county,  by  a  Licence  granted 

by  M"'  Tho:  Welles,  Surrogate. 
Joseph  White,  of  the  parish  of  Ellaston,  in  the  county  of  Stafford,  clerk, 

and  Jane  Kent,  of  the  Parish  of  Sandbach,  in  the  county  of  Chester,  by 

a  Licence  granted  by  M''  Tho:  Welles,  Surrogate. 
John  Newton,  of  the  parish  of  Bowden,   in  the  county  of  Chester,   tanner, 

and  Elizabeth  Drinkwater,  of  the  City  of  London,  by  a  Licence,  &:c. 

1700.  September  30.     John  Markland,  of  Congleton,  Apothecary,  and  Mary  Harrison,  of  Goostree, 

spinster. 
Thomas  Kinsey,  of  Blackden,  in   the  parish  of  Sandbach,  gentleman,  and 

Anne  Swetenham,  of  Swetenham,  spinster. 
Jeffrey  Williams,''  of  Sandbach,  in  the  county  of  Chester,  A.M.,  clerk,  and 

Katherine  Moore,  of  Sandbach  aforesaid,  widow. 
John  Stoddart,  of  Rushen  [Rushton],  in  the  parish  of  Leek,  in  the  county 

of  Stafford,  and  Margaret  Lownds,  of  Bosley,  in  the  parish  of  Prestbury, 

in  the  county  of  Chester. 
John  Hassall,  of  Little  Peever,   in    the  parish  of  Biddulph   \_sic  for  Great 

Budworth],    in    the    county   of    Chester,    yeoman,    and    Mary    Low,    of 

Sandeway,  in  the  parish  of  Weverham,  in  the  county  aforesaid. 


1701. 


June  6. 


August  20. 


August  20. 
May  18. 
September  15. 

September  25. 


''  There  are  many  Comberbach  entries  in  these  Registers. 

"  Other  children  of  Thomas  Wright  were,  Charles,  bapt.  1st  July,  1752  ;  iTary,  bapt.  1st  Sept,  1754  ;  Thomas,  bapt. 
1st  April,  1756  ;  Margaret,  bapt.  26th  April,  1761,  bur.  15th  August,  1761  ;  Elizabeth,  bapt.  13th  August,  1762  ;  Elhahetli, 
bapt.  1st  April,  1763  ;  Margaret,  bapt.  13th  April,  1764. 

'  See  under  Hassall  Township.  Other  children  were,  Edward,  bapt.  23rd  Nov.  1757;  Penelope,  bapt.  3rd  Feb.  1759; 
Edward,  bapt.  7th  June,   1761. 

s  Thomas  Cartwright  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Cartwright,  Vicar  of  Middlewich,  and  Grace  (Welles)  his  wife.  Other 
children  were,  Grace,  bapt.  26th  July,  1758;  Mary,  bapt.  1 8th  May,  1760;  Anne,  bapt.  29th  Nov.  1761. 

''  The  Rev.  Jeffrey  Williams,  M.  A.,  at  this  time  Curate  of  Sandb.ich,  subsequently  became  Rector  of  Astbury,  where  he 
died  in  1757.  She  was  the  youngest  daughter  of  Charles  Mainwaring,  gent.,  of  .Sandbach,  born  1st  Jan.  i654[-5].  She 
married  (I)  Randle  Jackson,  of  Betchton  House,  gent.,  c.  1691,  after  whose  death  (12th  June,  1694),  she  married  (2)  (George?) 
Moor,  of  Sandbach,  and  (3)  the  Rev.  Jeffrey  Williams.  He  thus  describes  her  death  in  1756,  when  she  was  ninety-one  years 
of  age  : — "  March  16,  1756,  ab'  9  in  the  morning  my  Beloved  wife  departed  this  earthly  mortal  life,  into  that  which  is  heavenly 
and  immortal  after  having  made  me  very  happy  in  living  together  very  near  55  years,  by  the  great  goodness  of  Almighty  God. 
She  was  buryed  in  the  Rector's  Chancel  in  the  Parish  Church  of  Astbury,  March  24,  aged  91." — {Old  Diary.) 

K   2 


68  SANDBACH. 


1 701.  October  23.         Daniel  Downs,  of  Titherington,  in    the    parish  of  Prestbury,    Button-man, 

and  Dorothy  Birtles,  in  the  parish  aforesaid,  spinster. 
i70i[-2].     February  17.        Edward   Deavs,   of  Whitechurch,   in  the  county  of  Salop,   gentleman,  and 
Elleanor  Anderton,  of  the  same  place,  widow. 

1702.  August  19.  Richard  Holland,  of  Buttley,  in  the  parish  of  Prestbury,   com.   Cest.,  and 

Anne  Walker,  of  Macclesfield,  widow. 

1703.  3\Iay  S.  Richard  Jackson,  of   Bechton   House,   genUeman,    and    Elizabeth   Oldfeld, 

of  Bradwall,  spinster. 

1704.  September  22.     George  Alexander,  of  Audlem,  scholemaster,  and  Jane  Hurst,  of  Haslingden, 

spinster. 
1706.     September  19.     Richard  Maddock,  of  this  Town,  yeoman,  and  Sarah  Twemlow,  of  Arclid, 
widow. 
i707[-S].     January  S.  John   tlulme,  of  Oswestry,   co.   Salop,   schoolmaster,   and    Mary   Hancock, 

of  Chesterton,  co.  Stafford. 

1 7 10.  July  31.  Joseph  Coleby,  of  y'=  prsh   of  S'  Annes,  Westminster,  gentleman,  and  Jane 

Bennion,  widow,  prsh  of  S'  Peters  in  Chester. 

1 71 1.  August  25.  Peter  Brookes,  of  Malpas,  schoolmaster,  and  Eleanor  Weever,  of  Sandbach, 

spinster. 

1712.  December  9.       John  Shawe,  clockinaker,^  and  Eleanor  Proudlove,  both  of  Sandbach. 

17  13.     August  17.  Peter  Oulton,  of  y-'  prsh  of  Tarvin,  Gent.,  and  Frances  Kinnaston,  of  Tatten- 

hall  prsh. 

171S.     May  23.  Jonathan  Emery,  of  Middlewich,  gentleman,  and  Ann  Swinton,  of  the  same, 

by  Licence. 

1 7 19.     May  1 8.  Thomas  Watkis,  of  Sandbach,  gentleman,  and  Ann  Hurst,  of  the  same,  by 

Licence. 

1725.  November  4.  John  Kerfoot,  of  Huntington,  in  y«  Parish  of  S*  Oswald  in  Chester,  Husband- 
man, and  Ellen  Broome,  of  Buckley,  in  y|=  Parish  of  Malpas,  spinster,  by 
virtue  of  a  Licence. 

1727.  June  6.  William  Swinton,  of  Birtles,  in  the  parish  of  Rostherne,J  Dancing  Master,  and 

ALargarett  Rowlinson,  of  ALanchester,  in  the  county  of  Lancaster,  spinster, 
by  virtue  of  a  Licence. 
i727[-S].     January  i.  Charles    Porter,  of  Newcastle,    in    the  county  of   Stafford,  gentleman,  and 

Jane    Kent,    of    Elton,    in    the    parish    of    Warmingham,    spinster,    by 
Licence. 

1728.  December  11.     John  Cooper,  of  y''  parish  of  Warmincham,  gentleman,  and  Hannah  Smith,  of 

Barthomley,  spinster,  by  Licence. 
1735.     September  20.     John  Moss,  gentleman,  and  j\Lary  Hopley,  widow,  both  of  this  Town,  by 

Licence. 
173S.     December  3.       John  Wright,  of  Macclesfield,  and  Sarah  Sutton,  of  Congleton,  by  Licence. 
i739[-4o].  January  20.         John  Berrington,  gentleman,  and  Elizabeth  Mear,  widow,  of  this  parish,  by 

Licence. 
i739[-4oJ.  January  25.  George  Audley,   of  Namptwich,    gentleman,   and    ALary   Stevenson,   of  this 

parish,  spinster,  by  Licence. 
1740.     September  24.     M''  William  Lowndes  and  ]\I"  Ann  Berrington,  of  this  Parish,  by  Licence. 

'  He  was  buried  at  Sandb.ich,  14th  August,  172S. 

J  The  only  iJiitlos  that  I  know  of  is  in  Pratbury  parish,  so  that  either  the  name  of  the  township  or  of  the  parish  must  be 
wrong. 


THE    PARISH    REGISTERS. 


69 


1 741.     December  25.     Matthew  Salmon,  of  the  parish  of  Wybenbury,  clerk,  and  Mary  Maddock, 

of  Sandbach,  spinster,  by  Banns. 
1751.     July  12.  The  Rev  M''  Simon  Mills,  M.A.,  and  Eliz  :  Mee,  of  this  Parish,  by  Licence. 

1753.     July  24.  John  Acton,  a  Tinker,"^  and  Ellen  Buckley,  of  this  parish,  by  Licence. 


BURIALS   (Commence  1699). 

This  heading  occurs  here  : — 

A  true  and  exact  Register  of  Burialls  from  the  26  of  March  Anno  1699  together  with  the 
names  of  the  Heirs  Executors,  Administrators  or  others,  who  are  to  pay  the  Duty  for  the 
same  and  the  places  of  their  abode  ;  According  to  the  purport  of  a  late  act  of  Parliament  made 
in  the  ninth  and  tenth  year  of  William  3'^  Entituled  an  act  for  preventing  frauds  and  Abuses 
in  the  chargeing  collecting  and  paying  the  Duties  granted  to  his  Majesty  upon  Births  and 
Burialls  &c. 

Mary,  wife  of  William  Weld,  Sandbach,  gentleman. 

Charles  Manwaring,'  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

William  Walton,  Sandbach,  Executed  at  Chester  for  the  murder  of  John  Peever. 

William  Weld,  of  Hassall  Hall,  Sandbach,  gentleman. 

Hannah,  daughter  of  M'  John  W[h]ittingham,  of  Mossborrow,  in  the  pari.-^h 

of  Middlewich. 
Randle  Rode,'"  senior,  gentleman,  Betchton. 
Jane  Maddock,  gentlewoman,  Sandbach. 
Katherine  Manwaring,"  Sandbach. 
William  Jackson,"  gentleman,  Sandbach. 
Joseph  Furnivall,P  gentleman,  Arclid. 
Nathan  Twemlow,  a  Dissenting  Minister,  of  Middlewich. 
Anne  Furnivall,  widow. 

George  Culcheth,  of  Oakhanger,  in  ye  parish  of  Barthomley. 
John  Furnival,  of  Boults-green^  gentleman,  Betchton. 
Joseph  Furnival,  gentleman,  Arclid. 
Samuel  Watkis,  gentleman,  Sandbach. 
Elizabeth  Furnivall,  widow,  Sandbach. 
Thomas,  son  of  Thomas  Watkis,  clerk,  Knutsford. 
Anne,  wife  of  Thomas  Watkis,  clerk,  Knutsford. 
Samuel,  son  of  Thomas  Watkis,  clerk,  Knutsford. 
Anne,  D*"  of  William  Jackson,  deceased,  gentleman,  late  Clerk  of  the  Peace 

for  this  County,  and  Margery,  his  wife,  Sandbach. 
Isaac,  son  of  Isaac  Goodwin,  gentleman,  and  Mary,  his  wife,  Sandbach. 
Margaret,  D''^^''  of  William  Robinson,  Writing  Master,  Sandbach,  and  Ellen, 
his  wife. 
'^  Query,  a  gipsy  ? 

'  "  Charles  Mainwaring  of  Sandbach  departed   this  life  on  Friday  morn>>'  iS""  Nov.  and  was  buried  21"  of  the  same 
month,  1703,  in  the  73"'  y'  of  his  age." — (Old  Diary.) 

"  He  was  the  son   of  William   Rode,  of  Betchton,  and   married  at   .Sandbach,    nth  April,    1667,  Anne,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Broome,  of  Betchton,  yeoman.     Administration  to  his  effects  was  granted  at  Chester,  14th  Jan.  1706-7. 

"  "Katherine  Mainwaring  Relict  of  the  above  [Charles  Mainwaring]  died  at  Trentham,  com.  Stafford,  10"'  Aug.  1712, 
and  was  buryed  at  Sandbach  in  the  87""  y'  of  her  age." — {Old  Diary.] 
"  He  was  Clerk  of  the  Peace  for  the  county  of  Chester. 
>"  For  tlie  inscription  on  his  mural  monument,  see  p.  34.     He  was  forty-eight  years  of  age. 


1702. 

March  12. 

1703- 

Noveinber  21. 

1704. 

May  I. 

1705- 

April  23. 

1706. 

April  13. 

i7o6[-7]. 

January  10. 

i7o9[-io]. 

January  25. 

1712. 

July  31. 

1713- 

June  22. 

1 7 14. 

June  5. 

1714. 

September  17. 

1714. 

December  21. 

1715- 

March  29. 

1717. 

October  7. 

1717. 

October  8. 

1718. 

November  7. 

1720. 

September  16. 

I72l[-2]. 

January  30. 

,72l[-2]. 

February  23. 

I72l[-2]. 

March  17. 

1722. 

May  II. 

1722. 

September  18. 

1722. 

September  25. 

70 


SANDBACH. 


1722. 

October  17. 

1722. 

November  12. 

i733[-3]. 

January  i. 

r726[-7]. 

January  i. 

1728. 

April  17. 

1728. 

July  29. 

172S. 

September  27. 

1728. 

October  14. 

1728. 

November  1 2. 

i7  28[-9]. 

January  23. 

1729. 

September  26. 

1730- 

May  II. 

1731- 

April  26. 

1732- 

July  18. 

1732- 

October  16. 

i733[-3]. 

March  4. 

i734[-5]- 

February  1 2. 

i73S[-6]. 

January  13. 

1736. 

May  I. 

1737- 

December  19. 

1738. 

June  7. 

173S. 

June  18. 

i738[-9]- 

January  16. 

i738[-9]- 

February  28. 

i739[-4o]. 

March  3. 

1740. 

]May  18. 

i74o[-i]. 

January  i. 

1741. 

April  12. 

1741. 

May  I. 

1741H]. 

January  10. 

1742. 

November  3. 

1743- 

April  26. 

Sarah  Furnivall,  of  Rode  Hall,  in  Astbury  Parish,  widow. 

George,   son  of  John   Stephenson,   Apothecary,  and  Anne,    his   wife,    both 

deceased,  Sandbach. 
Thomas  Broome,i  senior,  of  ye  Brooke,  yeoman,  Betchton. 
Adam  Mills,  physician,  Sandbach. 
M"  Ann  Furnivall,  spinster,  of  Namptwich. 

James  Anderson,  gentleman,  late  of  Barton,  in  ye  parish  of  Great  Budworth 
William  Rode,''  gentleman,  of  Betchton. 
Thomas  BroomS  of  the  Brook,  yeoman,  Betchton. 
Hugh  Broom,'  Attorney,  Sandbach. 

Ann,"  wife  of  John  Watson,  gentleman,  of  ye  parish  of  Whitchurch,  co.  Salop. 
John  Gorst,  musician,  Sandbach. 
Randle  Rhode ^'  [_sic  for  Rode],  Attorney,  Sandbach. 
William  Mills,  chirurgeon,  Sandbach. 
M''  Robert  Anderson,  Apothecary,  Sandbach. 
M"  Hannah  Watkis,'^'  of  Nampt :  widdow,  Acton. 
Tho  :  Leech,  chirurgeon,  Sandbach. 
Margaret,  wife  of  M"^  John  Lea,"^  Sandbach. 
John  Amson,  Esq.,  of  Astbury  Parish.>' 
Samuel,  son  of  Samuel  Brooks,^  gentleman,  and  Ellen,  his  wife,  Betchton. 

[A  daughter,  Ellen,  was  buried  2nd  May,  1736.] 
M''  Richard  Maddock,  Sandbach. 
Elizabeth  Furnivall,  gentlewoman,  from  Macclesfield. 
William  Robinson,  Writing  Master,  Sandbach. 
Richard  Knight,  Attorney,  Sandbach. 
Miss  Katherine  Jackson,  from  Chester. 
Mary,  wife  of  M''  Robert  Maddock,  Sandbach. 
AP^  Margaret  Shaw,  spinster,  Sandbach. 
Margery  Jackson,  widow,  gentlewoman,  Namptwich. 
M"  Hurst,  Sandbach. 

John  Eaton,  of  Middlewich  Parish,  a  Londino. 
Alice,  daughter  of  John  Jervis,  Esq.,  Bradwall. 
Mathtew  Boult,  Surgeon,  Congleton. 
M"'^  Jane  Houghton,"  Sandbach. 


1  His  will,  dated  14th  Nov.  1722,  was  proved  at  Cliester,  15th  May,  1723. 

'  He  was  the  son  of  Randle  Rode,  of  Betchton,  yeoman  ;  see  note  m.  His  will,  dated  7th  Sept.  172S,  was  proved  at 
Chester,  in  March,  1729. 

'  His  will,  dated  Sth  Oct.  172S,  was  proved  at  Chester,  25th  Nov.  1729. 

'  There  is  no  will  of  this  Hugh  Broom  now  preserved  at  Chester. 

"  She  was  the  daughter  and  heir  of  Hugh  Amson,  of  Leighs,  gent.,  and  married,  in  1696,  William  Oldlield,  of  Bradwall, 
Esq,  He  was  buried  at  .Sandbach,  3rd  Sept.  17 11,  .and  she  married  for  her  second  husband,  at  Whitchurch,  co.  Salop, 
2 1  St  May,  172S,  John  Watson,  of  Whitchurch,  gent. 

"  His  will,  if  he  made  any,  does  not  appear  to  be  now  at  Chester. 

"  "1732.     October  16.     Hannah  Watkis,  buried  at  Sandbach. " — (Xanhvich  Register.) 

»  "  John  Lea,  gentleman,  Sandbach,"  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  29th  Sept.  173S. 

?  See  the  Amson  pedigree,  under  Lees  Township,  and  the  inscription  on  his  mur.al  monument,  on  p.  35. 

'■  "Mr.  Samuel  Brooke,  Betchton,"  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  5th  July,  1747,  and  "Mrs.  Ellin  Brooks,  widow,  Congleton," 
was  buried  there,  22nd  Feb.  1762. 

"  Query,  a  member  of  the  Houghton  family,  of  Baguley,  co.  Chester?  John  Lowndes,  living  in  1743,  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  John  Houghton,  of  Baguley,  gent.,  and  had  issue.     See  pedigree  of  Lowndes,  of  Bostock  House. 


THE   PARISH    REGISTERS. 


71 


i744[-5]- 

March  15. 

1746. 

April  3. 

i747[-8]. 

March  3. 

i748[-9]. 

March  9. 

1749. 

December  8. 

1750- 

April  10. 

1750- 

August  9. 

i7Si[-2]- 

February  28. 

1752. 

December  27. 

1753- 

April  19. 

1754- 

April  8. 

1754- 

October  15. 

1755- 

March  27. 

1756. 

May  12. 

1756- 

September  18, 

1756. 

December  4. 

1758- 

March  i. 

1760. 

April  16. 

1760. 

December  22. 

1762. 

February  27. 

1762. 

May  12. 

1762. 

December  22. 

1763- 

February  28. 

1764. 

February  28. 

1764. 

June  24. 

1764. 

August  26. 

M''  William  Shaw,  Attorney. 

A  Travelling  Child.     Sandbach. 

John  Jervis,  Esq.,*"  Bradwall. 

Margery,  wife  of  William  Furnival,  gentleman,'^  Sandbach. 

John  Oaks,  Attorney,  Sandbach. 

Robert  Maddock,  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

Ann,  wife  of  Thomas  Hulse,  gentleman,'^  Sandbach. 

Ann,  wife  of  Thomas  Wright,  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

John  Twemlow,  surgeon,  Sandbach. 

Thomas  Hulse,  gentleman,'^  Sandbach. 

Tho^  Broome,  gentlemen,  Congleton. 

John,  son  of  Joseph  Skerratt,  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

John  Jervis,  Esq'',  of  Darliston,  Staffordshire. 

Mary,  wife  of  John  Moss,  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

Rev.  M"^  Thomas  Watkiss,  Knutsford. 

Mary,  wife  of  James  Whitehead,  gentleman,f  Sandbach. 

Edward,  son  of  Edward  Salmon,  gent.,  Hassall. 

John  Cooper,  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

The  Rev.  M''  Geo.  Penlington,s  Bradwall. 

Thomas  Cartwright,  gentleman,  Sandbach.'' 

RP^  Sarah  Boult,  Sandbach. 

Christopher  Holford,  junior,  Wilmslow. 

William  Furnivall,  gentleman,'  Sandbach. 

John  Wilson,  gentleman,  Brereton. 

Joseph  Comberbach,  Town  Clerk  of  Macclesfield.J 

William  Hilditch,  surgeon,  Sandbach. 

End  of  Volume  II. 


■   Volume  III.  of  the  Registers  is  a  folio  volume,  lettered — 

Baptisms  1765  to  1799, 
Burials      1765  to  1800. 
The  entries  under  each  year  now  become  more  and  more  numerous,  showing  that  the  town 
was  increasing  in  population.     The  Burials  are,  as  a  rule,  more  interesting  than  the  Baptisms. 


*■  "Jane  daughter  of  M"  Jervis,  widow,  Bradwall,"  was  buried  27th  April,  1751. 

'  "March  9  i74S[-9]  was  buryed  at  Sandbach,  Margery,  wife  of  M'  William  Furnival  of  Boults  Green,  gent.,  and 
daughter  of  M'  William  Jackson,  sometimes  Clerk  of  the  Peace  for  the  County  of  Chester,  deceased,  and  of  Margery,  daughter 
of  George  Moor,  of  Sandbach,  ^Ierchant,  deceased." — (Old  Diary.)     See  the  inscription  on  her  tombstone,  p.  42. 

''  The  mother  of  Mr.  John  Hulse,  the  founder  of  the  liulsean  Lectureship,  &c.  See  the  inscription  on  her  mural  monument, 
P-  37. 

"  See  the  pedigree  under  Hulse  of  Elworth,  and  the  mural  inscription  on  p.  37. 

'  James,  son  of  James  Whitehead,  gentleman,  Sandbach,  was  buried  i6th  March,  1762. 

B  Administration  to  his  effects  was  granted  at  Chester,  26th  Jan.  1761,  to  his  brother,  OUver  Penlington,  of  Kindert<.n, 
yeoman,  his  mother,  Mary  Penlington,  widow,  renouncing. 

■i  "Ann,  daughter  of  M"  Elizabeth  Cartwright,  widow,  Sandbach,"  w.-is  buried  there  3rd  April,  1762,  and  another 
daughter,  Mary,  was  buried  there  l6th  May,  1763. 

'  See  his  tombstone,  p.  42. 

J  See  the  inscription  on  his  tombstone,  p.  43.  He  was  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Comberbach,  of  Sandbach,  and  was  baptised 
there,  30th  August,  1713.     See  p.  65. 


SAN  DRAG  H. 


ijf'S- 

February  20. 

1765. 

June  20. 

1765- 

November  22. 

1766. 

INIarch  23. 

1766. 

August  7. 

1766. 

September  26. 

1766. 

September  28. 

176S. 

April  8. 

I76S. 

October  5. 

1769. 

September  8. 

1769. 

October  4. 

1769. 

November  29. 

1770. 

July  24. 

1771. 

January  25. 

I77I. 

March  30. 

£771. 

July  7. 

«773- 

December  3. 

1775- 

February  10. 

1777- 

June  9. 

I  7  78. 

April  29. 

177S. 

August  9. 

1779- 

June  25. 

17S0. 

September  13. 

17S2. 

January  22. 

1782. 

April  I. 

1783. 

March  11. 

17S3. 

September  23. 

1783- 

October  15. 

BURIALS. 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas  Millington,  surgeon,  Sandbach. 

M"  Elizabeth  Fumivall,  Northwich. 

William  Moss,  gentleman,  London. 

Grace,  daughter  of  M"  Jervis,!^  widow,  Darlaston,  from  London. 

John,  son  of  John  Wilson,  gentleman,'  Sandbach. 

Samuel  Corbishley,  gentleman,  Congleton. 

....  a  Welch  Stroller. 

Margery,  wife  of  M''  Thomas  Wright,  Sandbach. 

Edward  Powys,""  Esquire,  Wheelock. 

Joan,"  wife  of  William  Penlington,  gentleman,  Namptwich. 

John,  son  of  Cyranius  Mauritanius,°  Sandbach. 

John  Hilditch,  Old  Hall,  Sandbach. 

Richard,  son  of  the  Rev.  M"'  John  Latham,?  Titherington. 

John  Moss,  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

Peter  Furnivall,  son  of  John  Wilson,!  gentleman,  Sandbach. 

AP^  Grace  Cartwright,''  widow,  Sandbach. 

John,  son  of  CapcUa^  Chapman,  Sandbach. 

John  ^^■ilson,  Gent.,  Sandbach. 

Thomas  Pickering,  surgeon,  Sandbach. 

Martha,  daughter  of  Elizabeth  Lisbon  al  d'Anjengo,'  Sandbach. 

John  Harrington,  gentleman,  Arclid. 

Joan,  wife  of  Ralph  Audley,"  gentleman,  Nantwich. 

Miss  ALiry  Jervis,'"  Knightsbridge. 

William  Penlington,'^  Esquire,  Rode 

James  Whitehead,  Esquire,  Sandbach. 

Thomas  Wright,  Gent.,  Sandbach. 

Elizabeth  Wright,  spinster,  Betchton. 

M'*  Jane  Wilson,  widow,  Leeke. 


''  See  the  pedigree  of  Jer\-is,  of  Bradwall. 

'  Bapftsed  6th  August,  1766.     Another  son,  also  named yi;/;;;,  was  baptised  26th  August,  I'jd'l. 

"  For  the  inscription  on  his  mural  monument,  Jtv  p.  35.   He  was  fifty-nine  years  of  age.  .5'i?£' also  under  Wheelock  Township. 
"  She  was  the  younger  daughter  and  co-heir  o{  Richard  Lowndes,  of  Bostock  House.     Sec  that  pedigree. 
"  Baptised  2nd  Oct.  1769.     "  Cyranus  alias  Cyrus  Mauritanius  of  this  parish  and  Anne  Shaw  of  this  parish,  by  Banns," 
married  15th  Feb.  1768,  at  Sandbach. 

P  See  the  pedigree  of  Latham,  of  Bradwall. 

1  Baptised  3rd  March,  1771.     Another  son,  Thomas  Needhaw,  was  baptised  :5th  Jan.  1770. 

'  She  w.as  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Welles,  Vicar  of  Sandbach.     See  the  Welles  pedigree,  p.  22. 

"  Avery  unusual  Christian  name.  It  occurs  again  in  1791.  This  child  w.as  illegitimate,  and  was  baptised  7th  April,  1771. 
"  William  Bailey  and  Capella  Chapman"  were  married  at  Sandbach  5th  August,  1774. 

'  The  mother  was  baptised  on  6th  Jan.  176S,  as  "Elizabeth  de  Anganga,  in  the  East  Indies,  servant  of  Mrs.  Mary 
Hatfield,  Sandbach."  - 

"  She  was  one  of  the  daughters  of  William  Penlington,  of  Odd  Rode,  Esq.,  by  his  wife  Joan,  daughter  and  co-heir  of 
Richard  Lowndes,  of  Bostock  House,  Esq.  They  were  married  at  Nantwich,  in  1 775,  but  had  evidently  eloped  to  Gretna  Green, 
and  been  there  previously  married,  the  following  being  the  entry  in  the  Nantwich  Register  : — "  1775.  Ralph  Audley,  Gent., 
and  Joan,  daughter  of  William  Penlington,  Esq.,  of  Nantwich,  married  lith  November.  Joan  .\uJley,  late  Joan  Penlington, 
being  married  in  August  last  to  the  said  Ralph  Audley  in  North  Briton,  commonly  called  Scotland." 

'  See  the  pedigree  of  Jervis,  of  Bradwall. 

'  Of  Odd  Rode,  Esq.,  the  husband  of  the  Joan  Penlington  buned  in  1769,  and  the  father  of  the  Joan  Audley  buried  in 
1779.     See  notes  n  and  «. 


THE   PARISH    REGISTERS. 


73 


1784 
1784. 
178s 
1786 
1787 
1787 
1787 
1788 
1788 
1789 
1789, 
1789, 
1790, 
1791 

1793 

179 

1794 

1794 

179s 

1796 

1797 

1797 
1797, 
1798 
1800 


March  3. 
April  12. 
April  13. 
April  12. 
May  13. 
August  5. 
December  5. 
April  3. 
June  4. 
March  18. 
April  15. 
December  iS. 
May  I. 
June  19. 
March  30. 
June  16. 
January  5. 
February  24. 
October  22. 
November  21. 
April  I. 
April  I. 
October  27. 
August  29. 
August  II. 


Edward  Salmon,"  Esquire,  Hassall. 

M"  Mary  Furnivall,  widow,  Sandbach. 

Anne,  wife  of  the  Rev.  D''  Richard  Jackson, >'  Frees. 

Joan  Lowndes  Penlington,  daughter  of  William  CoUinson,  Gent.,  Rode. 

Richard,  son  of  James  Bailey,  Esquire,  Sandbach. 

Moseley,  son  of  William  Penlington,  Esquire,  Rode. 

M^^  Elizabeth  Cartwright,  spinster,  Sandbach. 

William  Penlington,  son  of  William  Collinson,  Gent.,^  Rode. 

David  Pritchard,  Conedian,''  Sandbach. 

Ellen,  daughter  of  James  Bayley,  Esquire,''  Sandbach  [Bap.  26th  Jan.]. 

M"  Mary  Bartlam,  widow,  Chester. 

M"  .  .   .  Salmon,"  widow,  Sandbach. 

Syranius  Mauritanius,  Sandbach. 

Capella,  wife  of  William  Bailey,  Sandbach 

Thomas  Parratt,  Gent.,'^  Sandbach. 

M"  Anne  Parratt,  widow,  Sandbach. 

AVilliam  Hilditch,  Gent,  Sandbach. 

Edward  Salmon,  Gent.,  Rode. 

Joseph  Skerratt,  Gent. 

The  Rev.  Doctor  Jackson,|=  from  Prece. 

John  Twemlow,  Father, 

James  Twemlow,  Son, 

M''^  Henshall,  Sandbach. 

William  Whitehead,  Gentleman,  Wheelock. 

IVP^  Swindles,  Hassall. 


Sandbach. 


BAPTISMS.     (Vol.  III.     1765-1799.) 
The  following  entries  are  noteworthy  in  addition  to  many  given  in  the  previous  notes,  &c. 

1765.  February  13.  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas  Millington,  surgeon,  Sandbacli.f 

1781.  October  11.  John,  son  of  John  Robert  Parker,  Esq.,  Sandbach. 

1782.  June  14.  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Robert  Parker,  Esq.,  Sandbach. 
17S7.  January  i.  William  Broome,  son  of  George  Salmon,  Esq.,  Sandbach. 
1791.  March  28.  Harry,  son  of  George  Salmon,  Esq.,  Sandbach. 

1797.     April  II.  Mary  Ann,  daughter  of  James  Colclough,  Attorney,  Sandbach. 

1797.  September  25.     Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Skerratt,  Doctor,  Sandbach. 

1798.  March  30.  Harriot,  daughter  of  John  Turner,  Dancing  Master,  Sandbach. 

„         October  19.        Francis  Johnson,  son  of  John   and   Elizabeth   Ford,  of  Abbey-field,  born 
21  Aug.  1798,  Sandbach. 

'  The  husband  of  Ann,  the  elder  daughter  and  co-heir  of  Richard  Lowndes,  of  Bostock  HousCj  Esq. 

'  See  the  pedigree  of  Jackson,  of  Betchton  House. 

'  A  daughter,  Anne,  was  buried  gth  Nov.  1791. 

'  There  are  several  entries  of  "players  "  in  the  Nantwich  Registers  about  this  period. 

''  Other  children  of  Mr.  Bayley  were,  Frances,  bapt.  20th  Sept.  1787;  fofm,  bapt.  25th  March,  buried  27th  Dec.  1790; 
Sophia,  bapt.  nth  May,  1791 ;  Penelope,  buried  4th  Sept.  1792;  Henry,  bapt.  23rd  Dec.  1793,  buried  14th  April,  1794. 

•=  See  note  *. 

^  His  will,  dated  6th  May,  17S8,  with  a  codicil,  14th  March,  1792,  was  proved  at  Chester,  3rd  March,  1794.  He  bequeathed 
his  estate,  after  his  wife's  death,  to  his  nephews  and  nieces,  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Mr.  John  Hilditch,  of  Wheelock  Hall. 

"  See  the  pedigree  of  Jackson,  of  Betchton  House. 

'  Other  entries: — Esther,  bapt.  7th  March,  1766;  Belly,  bapt.  3rd  August,  1768. 


74  SANDBACH. 


In  volume  iv.  of  the  Baptisms,  1799  to   181 1,  each  entry  is  in  a  certain  form,  giving  the 
date  of  birth  as  well  as  that  of  baptism  and  the  name  of  the  officiating  clergyman.     Thus  :— 

1799.  Charles    Uowthwaite,   son    of  the   Rev.    Charles    and    Sarah    Lockitt,   born    2    Sept.    1799, 

christened  4  Sept.  1799  by  me  C.  Lockitt. 

1 800.  John,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth   Ford,  Abbey-field,  Sandbach,   born    23   February    iSoo, 

christened  27  March  iSoo  by  C.  Lockitt. 

]\L\RRL\GES.     1754101799. 
The  volume  containing  the  marriages  from  1754  to  1799  has  many  entries  of  interest. 
1  755.     May  1 1.  Daniel  Comberbach  "  of  this  parish  Innkeeper  and  Ann  Johnson  of  this  parish, 

spinster,  by  Licence.     G.  Penlington,  Curate. 
John  Wilson  of  the  parish  of  Brereton,  gent,  and  Jane  Hurst  of  this  parish, 

spinster,  by  Licence. 
■William  Hilditch  of  this  parish  Apothecary  and  Frances  Cartwright  of  this 

parish,  spinster,  by  Licence. 
John  Cartwright  of  this  parish  gent,  and  Mary  Drake  of  this   parish,  widow, 

by  Licence. 
"William  Buckeridge  of  the  parish  of  St.  Mary  in  the  city  of  Lichfield  yeoman 

and  Judith  Jackson  of  this  parish,  by  Licence. 
Thomas    Gorton,    of  the    parish    of  Manchester,    merchant,   and    Margaret 

Furnivall,  of  this  parish,  spinster,  by  Licence. 
Egremont    Davis,    of    this  parish,   and    ALary   Sandbach,   of    the    parish    of 

Middlewich,  by  Licence. 
Robert  Dovers  (?)  of  this  parish,  gent,  and  Frances  Eccles,  of  this  parish,  by 

Banns. 
Joseph   Delves  of  the  parish  of  Whitmore,  clerk,  and  Elizabeth  Richards  of 

this  parish,  by  Licence. 
John  AVilliams  of  the  parish  of  Ashburn,  gent,  and  Elizabeth  Wilson,  of  this 

parish. 
William  Hilditch  and  Elizabeth  Cartwright.'' 
John  Wells '  of  this  parish  and  Ann  Wright  by  Licence. 
George  Oulton  of  Middlewich  and  Ann  Roylance  of  this  parish,  by  Licence. 
James    Bayley,    of  the   parish    of  Wybunbury,    and    Penelope    Salmon,   by 

Licence,  by  Richard  Salmon,  Curate. 
Thomas  Broome,  of  this   parish.  Gentleman,  and   Mary    Lowndes,    of  this 

parish,  widow,  by  Licence,  by  Peter  Haddon,  Vicar. 
John  Davies,  of  the  parish  of  Liverpool,  clerk,  and  Grace  Cartwright '  of  this 

parish,  by  Licence. 

^'  He  was  three  times  married,  secondly  at  Nantwich,  on  the  nth  November,  I759>  "  Daniel  Comberbach  of  Sandbach, 
Victualler,  and  Sarah  Lea,  of  Nantwich"  (Xaiiliciih  Rcgistir),  and  thirdly  at  Sandbach,  "1765  March  14.  Daniel 
Comberbach,  of  this  parish,  Innholder  and  Katherine  Mortlock  of  this  parish,  by  Licence." 

''  William  Hilditch  was  the  son  and  heir  of  John  Hilditch,  of  Wheelock  Hall,  gentleman,  and  the  nephew  and  heir-at-law 
of  Thomas  Parrott,  of  Lightly  Hill  in  Sandbach,  gentleman.  His  wife  was  the  eldest  daughter  of  Thomas  Cartwright,  of 
Sandbach,  and  the  Hall  of  Lee,  in  Lawton  parish,  gentlem.an,  and  co-heiress  to  her  brother,  Mr.  John  Cartwright,  of 
Sandbach. 

'  Sec  the  pedii;ree  of  Welles  of  Sandbach,  p.  22. 

'  She  was  the  second  daughter  of  Mr.  Thomas  Cartwright,  named  in  the  last  note  but  one.  Her  marriage  settlement 
bears  date  the  14th  December,  17S2.  The  will  of  her  husband,  the  Rev.  John  Davies,  of  Liverpool,  clerk,  is  dated  19th  June, 
1S07. 


'755- 

November  7. 

•758. 

May  27. 

" 

October  12. 

1762. 

March  31. 

.764. 

September  24. 

1767. 

January  28. 

1767. 

August  2. 

1767. 

August  13. 

176S. 

August  I. 

1775- 

September  1 7. 

.778. 

February  10. 

17  79- 

November  3. 

1780. 

June  29. 

1781. 

January  17. 

17S3, 

January  28. 

Asthury  and  Gongleton  Parish  Magazine. 


BAPTISMS. 

ASTBDEY. 

Juue    7—  Frances  Ethel,  daughter  of  Walter  and  Rosina  M  cores,  Astbury 
„     14 — Mabel,  daughter  of  John  and  Maria  Bayley,  Somerford 
„     16— Ellen,  daughter  of  Arthur  and  Maria  Astles,  Astbury  Marsh 

S.  James',  Gongleton. 

June    7 — Ernest,  son  of  George  and  Mary  Denham 

„       7 — May,  daughter  of  Harry  and  Mary  Ellen  Painter 

„       7 — William  Robert,  son  of  Samuel  Robert  and  Elizabeth  Allen 

„     28 — May,  daughter  of  Noah  and  Emma  Washington 

St.  Stephen's,  Gongleton. 
June    2  —Nellie  Cartmel,  daughter  of  George  Henry  and  Mary  Jane  Sandbach 
3— Edith  Mary,  daughter  of  William  and  Maiy  Ann  Heywood 
7 — Samuel,  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Shelley 
9 — Mary  Ellen,  daughter  of  Enoch  and  Fanny  Boston 
13— Joseph,  son  of  Ann  and  Joseph  Halle  well 
14 — Hilda  May,  daughter  of  George  and  Sarah  Redfern  Brereton 
23 — Maud,  daughter  of  Jabez  and  Elizabeth  Roe 

Smallwood. 
June    7 — Lily,  daughter  of  George  and  Hannah  Hall 

MARRIAGES. 

AsTBDEY. 

June  11— Alfred  Edward  Hill  and  Ellen  Ann  HiU,  by  the  Rector 
BURIALS. 

ASTBUEY. 

June    1 — Ann  Jane  Hallmack,  Gongleton 

2 — Jane  Scott,  Bolton 

4 — Fanny  Burslam,  Gongleton 

4 — Ann  Worrall,  Gongleton 

8 — James  Porter,  Gongleton 
10 — Frances  Bebbington,  Gongleton 
11 — John  Thomas  Sumner,  Astbury  Marsh 
12 — Maria  Jones,  Gongleton 
1-5 — Hannah  Pedley,  Gongleton 
16 — Gharlotte  Gotton,  Gongleton 
21 — Emily  Glarke,  Gongleton 
21 — Edith  Gai-tlidge,  Astbury 
24 — Dorothy  Margaret  Millson,  Astbury 
27 — Ann  Button,  Buglawton 

St.  Stephen's,  Gongleton. 

June    -5 — William  Baddeley,  .50  years 
„       6 — Ada  Yearsley,  2  months 
,,     14— William  Guest,  80  years 
„     23 — Elizabeth  Worthington,  28  years 
„     29—  Mary  Lunt  73  years 

S.  Petee's,  Gongleton. 

June  26— Emma  Bebbington,  62  years 


JVotcs  on  AsthuTy    Church. 


NOTES     ON     ASTBURY    CHURCH. 

By  the  Rev  T.  W.  Norwood,  M.A. 

Nos.  5  and  6  of  these  Grosvenor  quarterings  may  be  seen  set, 
some  way  apart,  the  former  on  the  dexter  side,  in  the  string 
course  at  the  east  end  of  the  South  Aisle.  They  indicate  the 
marriage  of  Richard  Coton  of  RudTvare-Hampstall,  co.  Stafford^ 
with  Joan,  one  of  the  daughters  of  Richard  Venables,  Baron  of 
Kinderton,  in  31  Henry  VI, ,  with  which  they  and  the  ^^dndow 
above  may  be  contemporary.  It  may  be  remarked  in  this  con- 
nection that  temp.  Henry  VIII.  Eleanor  Coton,  coheiress  of 
Rudware,  married  S''  William  Venables. 

Of  the  three  shields  on  the  front  of  the  Lady's  Altar  Tomb, 
reckoning  from  east  to  west,  we  have 

(a)  Tioo  bars,  over  all  a  bend  company,  for  Legh  of  AdHng- 
ton,  impaling  Arg.  tivo  bars  sa.  on  the  upper  a  crescent, 
and  m  fcss  point  a  cross  jlory  gu.  for  Brereton  of  Hand- 
ford.  This  represents  the  marriage  of  Thomas  Legh 
and  Sybil  Brereton,  above  mentioned. 
(  b)  Arg.  a  lion  rampant  gu.  between  S.pheons  sa.  for  Egerton, 
impales  Arg.  a  chevi'on  between  3  letters  "§,  sa.  in  mid  chief' 
a  cinquefoil  gu.  for  Holford,  which  impales  Quarterly  arg. 
and  gu.  in  the  2nd.  and  3rd  quarters  a  fret  or,  in  f ess  point 
a  crescent  for  difference,  for  Warburton,  being  the  marri- 
age of  an  Egerton  with  two  Ladies  named  Holford  and 
Warburton,  viz.  Ralph  Egerton,  son  of  the  Lady  Mary, 
according  to  Oi'merod. 
(c)  Arg.  2  bars  sa.  on  the  upper  a  crescent  for  difference,  in 
mid  chief  a  mullet  of  5  points  of  the  2nd,  for  Brereton  of 
Tatton,  impaling  Gu.  a  cross  engrailed  arg.  for  Legh 
of  Lyme,  which  all  impales  Egerton  as  in  (b)  ;  where 
Brereton  and  Legh  are  the  two  husbands  of  Dorothy 
Egerton,  a  daughter  of  Mary  Grosvenor  by  her  second 
marriage,  according  to  Ormerod,  and  sister  of  Ralph 
aforesaid. 

(All  rights  reserved.) 


Notes  on  Astbury   Church. 


In  the  south  Chantry-aisle  of  the  Choir,  and  on  the  north 
wall,  back  to  back  with  the  Grosvenor  lozenge  in  the  Chancel, 
is  a  mural  tablet  of  17th  Century  character,  shewing 
(Arg.)  on  a  chief  (sa.)  3  cinqucfoih  (of  the  field),  for  Bellot 
of  Moreton,  impaling  A  Garb  ivith  crescent  in  mid  chief,  for 
Grosvenor. 

This  represents  the  marriage  of  Edward  Bellot  of  Moreton, 
Esq"^®'  son  and  heir  of  Edward,  to  Amy,  second  daughter  of 
Anthony  Gi'osvenor,  fourth  son  of  Richard  Grosvenor  and 
Catharine  Coton.  This  Lady  was  therefore  niece  to  the  Lady 
on  the  high  tomb,  the  Mary  Grosvenor  aforesaid ;  she  died 
1   Sept.,  1612. 

In  the  south-east  corner  of  this  Sovith  Chancel-aisle,  on  a  high 
tomb,  is  an  effigy  of  a  Knight  in  mail  armour  covered  with  plate 
of  date  about  A.D.  1400.  He  wears  a  conical  helmet  and  mail 
gorget ;  and  his  mail  shews  under  his  plate  armour,  as  usual,  at 
his  armpits,  elbows,  and  knees.  He  has  pointed  sollerets,  knee- 
caps, &c.,  and  a  moustache.  On  his  surcoat  is  the  Davenport 
coat  of  arms,  well  preserved,  "  a  chevron  between  3  cross  croslets 
JitchyT  It  is  said  that  this  fine  Tomb  stood  formerly  in  the  midst 
of  the  floor ;  and,  if  so,  I  should  judge  that  he  was  probably  the 
founder  of  this  Chantry,  in  which  are  still  a  piscina  and  large 
aimabrye,  the  common  indications  of  a  chantry  altar. 

There  are  other  memorials  on  the  walls,  in  this  aisle  and  else- 
where, but  more  modern,  and  not  always  heraldically  correct, 
which  it  is  not  part  of  my  present  purpose  to  describe ;  as  where 
alliances  of  Bellot  with  Wilbraham  and  Bentley  are  recorded, 
&c. 

Leaving  now  the  Church  for  the  Churchyard,  there  are  four 
old  effigies  in  the  North  part,  seemingly  of  early  14th  century 
character,  exceedingly  worn,  and  almost  flattened  above,  which 
I  suppose  were  formerly  in  this  or  some  other  Church,  and 
turned  out  at  a  demolition  or  "  restoration."'  They  may  have 
been  turned  out  of  Astbury,  at  the  great  renovation  of  Kichard 
II's  time  ;  it  seems  likely  enough.  For  as  they  lie  side  by  side, 
over  the  two  midmost,  a  K*-  and  a  Lady  on  his  right,  with 
their  hands  in  prayer,  there  is  an  elegant  canopy  of  the  same 
architectural  character  as  the  Lute  Decorated  rebuilding  of  the 
Church,  and  very  well  preserved  in  comparison  ^vith  the  older 
effigies  beneath  it,  which  look  as  if  they  had  been  long  worn 
down  by  men's  feet.     The  canopy  shews  ;;e«r-tracery  in  a  panel, 


Notes  on  Astbury    Church. 


and  a  somewhat  suspicious  low  oc/ee,  and  is  roofed  wth  stone 
in  a  medieval  fashion.  Within  it,  at  the  head  of  the  figures  is 
a  shield  bearing  Two  bars,  and  just  under  the  shield  a  Latin 
legend  in  a  17th  century  letter,  claiming  these  monuments  for 
the  Brereton  family.  They  may  not  be  all  of  one  family ;  but 
the  only  one  of  the  four  that  can  be  at  all  recognised  was  doubt- 
less a  Venables,  and  the  Brereton  pretence  is  quite  unsupported. 
The  figure  lying  north  of  the  canopy  may  represent  a  priest, 
with  something  between  his  hands  which  are  in  posture  of 
prayer. 

That  on  the  south  is  a  Knight,  with  his  head  on  an  oblong 
cushion,  his  helmet  oval  above  and  cusped  upon  the  brow.  His 
shield  is  large  and  convex,  enclosing  his  side,  charged  with 
2  Bars  and  in  chief  3  leopards'  heads  which  are  probably  a 
difl^erence  for  Venables  of  Astbury.  For  Venables  of  Antrobus 
differenced  his  ancient  family  arms,  of  2  Bars,  with  mullets  in 
chief,  and  Venables  of  Bradwell  with  plates.  Venables  was 
superior  lord,  and  a  great  name  at  Astbury  in  the  Middle  Ages. 
In  the  Doom  Book  he  is  lord  of  Newbold. 

At  the  west  entrance  of  the  Churchyard  there  is  a  rare  and 
valuable  relic  in  the  form  of  an  old  Stone  Lychgate,  a  memorial 
to  a  former  Rector,  erected  in  1542.  It  is  round-arched  Debased 
Perpendicular;  and,  so  far  as  I  can  remember,  it  is  unique  in 
my  experience.^  It  is  in  good  preservation ;  and  long  may  it  be 
kept  so.     It  is  inscribed  with  monumental  words  : 

THOMAS    DOD,    D.D., 

RECTOR    OF    THIS    PARISH, 

Died   December    7th,    1542. 

T.  W".  Norwood. 
Wrenbury,  1890. 


THE   PARISH    REGISTERS  75 


1785.     July  20.  Stephen   Rolleston,    of  the   parish    of  S*  Georges,    Westminster,   Esq.   and 

Margaret  Wright  of  this  parish  by  Licence,  by  Peter  Haddon,  Vicar. 

1785.  December  21.  George  Salmon''  of  this  Parish  Esq.  and  Mary  Broome,  of  this  parish,  by 
Licence,  by  John  Gibson  Curate  in  the  presence  of  John  L.  Salmon  and 
Elizabeth  Salmon. 

1790.  December  13.     Charles  Davenport,  of  this  parish,  surgeon,  and  Ann   Howard,  of  the  parish 

of    Astbury,    widow,    by    Licence,    by    Thomas    Davenport,    Officiating 
Minister. 

1791.  April  28.  Ralph  Hartless,  of  this  parish,  and  Anne  Syranius  Mauritanius,'  of  this  parish, 

by  Banns. 

1792.  May  I.  Thomas   Morgan,  of  this  parish,  gent,  and  Mary  Paddy,  alias  Morgan,  by 

Banns. 

The  next   volume  of  Marriages  extends  from    1799  to    18 12.     These   two  entries  are  of 
interest. 

No.  306.     George  Ormerod,™  of  Lenches,  in  the  parish  of  Whalley,  co.  Lancaster,  gentleman,  and 

Sarah  Latham,  of  Bradwall,  in  this  Parish,  spinster,  were  married  in   this  church,  by 

Licence,  this  second  day  of  August   1808,  by  me  David  Davies,  Officiating  Minister. 

(Signed)   George    Ormerod,  Sarah   Latham,   in   the   presence   of  Jane  Davies,   P.    M. 

Latham. 
No.  315.     Charles  Rickards,"  of  the  parish  of  ALanchester,  Bachelor,  and  Frances  Broome,  of  this 

Place,  married  in  this  church  by  Licence,  i'*'  December  1808,  by  me  Charles  Lockitt. 

(Signed)  Charles  Rickards,  Frances  Broome,  in  the  presence  of  Era.  Twemlow,  Mary 

Lowndes. 


The  following  entries  relating  to  Sandbach  have  been  met  with  in  various  Registers 
(exclusive  of  those  of  Holmes  Chapel  and  Goostrey,  for  which  see  the  account  of  those 
townships),  and  it  seems  desirable  that  they  should  be  placed  on  record  here  : — 

]\L\RRIAGES. 

1623.     Hugh  Amson,  pish  de  Sandbach,  and         I   .  .       th  /  „r,    /.../r^/v  r>, „•,/,. ,\ 

->  a  '  i-  >  V  August  ig"' (Jlamt's/ie/a  Jiegnrc'r). 

Elizabeth  Leghe,  capell'  de  Macclesfield,  ■' 
i6s6[-7],  Jan.  19.     William  Jackson,  doctor  of  fissick  (sic),  and  M'^  Elizabeth  Leversage  {Nantn'icJt 

Regista-). 
1670.     John  Boult,  of  Sandbach,  and  Margery  Shaw,  of  Crew,  in  Com.  Cest"',  were  married  y^  2''  day 

of  Aprill,  1670  {Swettenham  Register). 
1692.     John,  y'=  son  of  Henry  Proudlove,  and   Hannah  Twemlow,   both  of  Sandbach,   married  by 

licence  from  M''  Wetenhall,  Nov.  29  (Swetknham  Register). 
1696,  Sept.  14.     Richard  Lowndes,  of  Bostock-house,  in  y'=  parish  of  Sandbatch,  and  Margaret  Pool 

of  Sandbatch,  were  marr)-ed  by  Licence  {Gaws'u.'orth  Register). 

^  There  are  many  entries  relating  to  the  Salmon  family  in  the  Nantwich  Registers.  He  was  probably  the  son  of  George 
Salmon,  of  Nantwich,  baptized  there  28th  April,  1762.     She  was  the  daughter  of  William  Broome,  of  Sandbach,  maltster. 

'  .SVt'  her  marriage  referred  to  in  note  0,  p.  72. 

°  Mr.  Ormerod  was  the  well-known  author  of  the  History  of  Cheshire,  published  in  three  large  folio  volumes  in  1S19,  .1 
second  edition  of  which  appeared  in  1SS2.     His  wife  was  the  daughter  of  John  Latham,  of  Bradwall,  Esq.,  M.D.,  F.K.S. 

°  The  father  of  the  late  Charles  Hilditch  Rickards,  Esq.,  to  whose  liberality  this  History  of  Sandbach  owes  its  existence. 

L   2 


76  SANDBACH. 


1700.  John  Bradbury,  of  y<^  parish  of  Barleston,  in  y<^  countie  of  Stafford,  gent',  and  Ahce  Furnivall 
of  y""  parish  of  Sandbach,  spinster,  were  married  Nov.  6"' "  {Sicieffenha?ii  Ref^isfer). 

1 7  o  I .  John  Bradbury,  of  Oulton,  in  y"^  county  of  Stafford,  gentleman,  and  Mary  Furnivall,  of  Betchton, 
spinster,  married  November  6"' "  {Swettenham  Register). 

I  715,  June  I.     Richard  Wheeler,  Esq.,  and  M''^  Mary  EgertonP  (Flixton,  co.  Lane,  Register). 

1724,  April  23.  William  Furnivall,  gent.,  and  Margery  Jackson,  by  Licence  from  M^  Brooke,  dated 
April  21  {Nantwieh  Register).'^ 

1724,  April  23.     Peter  Furnivall,  gent.,  and   Margaret  Jackson,  by   Licence  from  M''  Brooke,  dated 

April  23  {Nantwieh  Register). 
i7  25r-6].     William  Rode,  of  Betchton,  Gent.,  and   Anne  Wright,  of  Sandbach,  married  7'''  January, 

by  Licence  (  JVisfaston  Register).'^ 
1727,  July  22.     M'  Richard  Lowndes,  of  Sandbach,  and  M"  Margaret  Denton,  of  Wibunbury,  per 

Licence  {  JVybunbury  Register).'^ 
1727,  Oct    30.     M''  John  Wilson,  of   Sandbach,  and    M"   ^Largaret  Lowndes,   of  Sandbach,   per 

Licence  (  Wybunbury  Register). 
1729,  Dec.  4.     William  Broome  and  Mary  Whittingham,  both  of  Sandbach,  per  Licence  (  Wybunbury 

Register). 
i736[-7],  Jan.  6.     Henry  Lowe,  of  Betchton,  in  y'  Parish  of  Sanbach,  and  Sarah  Brook,  of  Astburv, 

by  Licence  {Gawsworth  Register). 
1746,  June  20.     William  Watkis,  of  Nantwieh,  gent.,  and  Anne  Rhode,''  of  Sandbach  parish,  spinster, 

per  Licence  (  Wybunbury  Register). 
i746[-7],  January  23.     James  Frith,  of  Sandbach,  gentleman,  and  ALary  Whiting,  of  the  same  place, 

spinster,  by  Licence  {St.  Michael's  Register,  Chester). 
1748,  May  25.     Richard  Ensor,  of  Sandbach,  and  Anne  Alills  {Leek  Register.     Sleigh's  History  of 

Leek,  p.  89). 
1 75  I.     M''  Edward  Salmon  and  Miss  Anne  Lowndes,'  by  Lycence,  October  25  {Acton  Register). 
1753,  June  y"^  9**'.     The  Rev"'' John  Latham,'  clerk.  Curate   of  Siddington,  and  Sarah  Podmore,  of 

Sandbach,  by  Licence  {Gawsn'orth  Register). 

BURLA.L3. 
i7o3[-4],   Febr.    21.     Thomas   ffurnivall,    mercer,   buried   at  Sandbach;    died   suddenly  {A'antivie/i 

Register). 
1 7 14.     George  Penlington,  de  Sandbach,  June  4,  buried  {Acton  Register). 
i72o[-i],    Feb.    25.      Richard    Liversage,    of    Yawood,    in   Sandbach    parish,    buried    {Jl'ybunbury 

Register). 
i72i[-2],  Janna  Penlington,  de  Sanbach,  widow,  24  March,  buried  {Acton  Register). 
i725[-6].     The  Rev.   M''  Jonathan   Ives,   of  Hollens-green,  in   y''   Parish   of  Sandbach,   buried  28''' 

February  {Acton  Register). 

1725,  April  17.     ]\I''=   Ann  ffurnivall,  Spinster,  Buried  att  Sandbach  {Auvitwich  Register). 

°  I  print  these  two  entries  as  they  appear  in  the  Swettenham  Register,  but  it  is  possible  that  only  one  marriage  took  place, 
and  that  it  has  been  entered  twice,  in  successive  years  ;  the  Christian  name  of  the  bride  being  given  in  the  one  case  as  Alice, 
and  in  the  other  as  Mary. 

P  In  the  marriage  licence  at  Chester  he  is  called  "  Richard  Wheeler,  of  the  parish  of  Sandbach,  gent.,"  and  she  "  Mary 
Egerton,  of  .Shaw,  spinster." 

1  For  the  extracts  from  the  Registers  of  Nantwieh,  Wistaston,  Wybunbury,  and  Acton,  I  am  indebted  to  James  Hull,  Esq. , 
of  Nantwieh,  author  of  the  History  of  Nanhmcli. 

'  She  was  the  only  daughter  and  heir  of  William  Rode,  of  Sandbach  and  Betchton,  gent. 

•  She  was  the  elder  daughter  and  co-heir  of  Richard  Lowndes,  of  Bostoclc  House  and  Hassall  Hall,  Esq.    Sec  that  pedigree. 

'  Sec  the  pedigree  of  Latham,  of  Eradwall. 


THE    GRAMMAR    SCHOOL.  j-j 


i72S[-9],  March  13.     Sarah  Leversage,  widow,        I  r,     ■    ■.    ,  c     ji      u  /  17     .    •  ,    n     ■      > 

Buried  at  Sandbach  {Nantivich  Register). 
Stephen  Leversage,  her  son,  ' 

i739[-4oJ.  Jan.  5.     The  Rev"!  John  Twemlow,  Curate  here,  Buried  {Nanhvich  Rcgistef). 

1759)  March  20.     Hannah  Skerrett,  widow,  buried  at  Sandbach  {Nantwich  Register). 

17S5.  July  23.     Mrs  jviaj-y  Salmon,  of  the  Parish  of  Sandbach,  rehct  of  W  Thomas  Salmon,  late  of 

the  Hough,  gent.,  buried  (  JVybuiibury  Register). 


Cf)f  (grammar  ^cbooU 

Sandbach,  like  most  other  large  parishes,  possessed  a  school,  occasional  references  to  which 
are  met  with  so  early  as  1606,  when  John  Shaw,  son  of  the  Vicar  of  Sandbach,  is  described  in 
the  parish  Register  as  "schoolmaster."  Then,  again,  in  the  will  of  Katherine  Hassell,  made  in 
1662,  she  bequeathed  "to  Thomas  Shawe,  schoolm"' at  Sandbach,  ^10,  and  to  his  son  Ralph 
40'.,  and  to  his  daughter  Sarah  £'i."  What  is  known  as  the  GRAMMAR  SCHOOL  was,  however, 
started  about  the  year  1677,  in  which  year,  by  indenture  dated  28th  September,  Richard  Lea,  of 
Sandbach,  assigned  to  William  Hayes,  Vicar  of  Sandbach,  Charles  Mainwaring,  John  Acton, 
Francis  Wells,  John  Furnivall,  Richard  Lowndes,  John  Stonier,  Randle  Rode,  and  George 
Twemlow,  a  part  of  a  field  in  Sandbach,  whereon  a  building,  intended  for  a  school-house,  had 
been  erected.  This  building  appears  to  have  been  built  at  the  cost  of  Mr.  Francis  Welles,  of 
Sandbach,  who  was  assisted  by  contributions  from  various  persons  connected  with  the  parish. 
Some  forty  years  later  another  indenture,  dated  lOth  December,  17 18,  supplies  some  interesting 
particulars.  It  was  made  between  Thomas  Welles,  clerk,  \'icar  of  Sandbach,  son  and  heir  of 
Francis  Welles,  deceased,  of  the  first  part ;  Richard  Lowndes,  of  Little  Hassall,  son  and  heir  of 
Richard  Lowndes,  deceased,  of  the  second  part ;  and  Thomas  Stephens,  Esq.  [of  W^heelock], 
Randle  Wilbraham,  Esq.  [of  Rode],  John  Amson,  Esq.  [of  Lees],  Lawrence  Booth,  Esq.  [of 
Twemlow],  William  Oldfield,  Esq.  [of  Bradwall],  Charles  Ward,  Esq.  [of  Shrewsbury],  Richard 
Vernon,  Samuel  Watkis,  William  Furnivall,  and  William  Rode,  of  the  third  part.  It  then 
states  that  Francis  Welles,  then  deceased,  had  designed  to  give  a  piece  of  land  in  Sandbach  for 
the  benefit  of  a  school,  for  teaching  twenty  poor  boys  belonging  to  that  parish,  and  at  his  own 
charge  had  erected  a  building  thereon,  which  was  then,  and  had  been  for  some  time,  used  for 
that  purpose,  and  whereof  Thomas  Hall,  clerk,  was  then  schoolmaster.  Also  that  in  order  to 
carr}'  so  useful  a  design  into  execution  the  following  persons  had  contributed  as  follows  :  — 

William  Steele,  of  London,  Esq ^50  Richard  and  William  Shawe,  of  Betchton...  /^5 

Sir  John  Crewe  [of  Utkinton]    3          Ro;;er  Turner,  of  London,  merchant     3 

Thomas   Stephens,   father   of  the  Thomas                  Daniel  Poole,  of  Alsager,  gent 5 

Stephens  above  named  20  Thomas   Swettenham,    of    Heaviley   [near 

Roger   Wilbraham,  father   of  the    Randle                       Stockport]    5 

Wilbraham  above  named    10          Robert  Hulme,  M.L 20 


H.  Noden,  of  London,  gent 10 


Thomas  Moore — 20s.  per  annum  out  of  an 


—  Barker,  of  Plymouth,  merchant    10  estate  in  Arclid. 

John  Acton,  of  Oakhanger,  gent 5  Richard  Welles  [of  Wigan],  son  of  the  said 

Richard  Alsager,  of  Alsager  5  Frar.cis 100 

William    Rode,    grandfather    of     William 

Rode  above  named 6 


78  SANDBACH. 


amounting  in  all  to  £2^".  Sir  John  Crewe,  of  Utkinton,  had  also  granted  a  rent-charge  of 
17s.  4d.  from  land  at  Stych,  or  Styth,  co.  Salop,  by  deed  dated  22nd  June,  1677.  It  is  also 
stated  that  at  the  time  these  donations  were  made,  it  was  intended  that  there  should  be  only 
twenty  poor  boys,  whereof  Sir  John  Crewe  and  his  heirs  were  to  nominate  two,  Thomas 
Stephens  two,  Roger  Wilbraham  two,  Francis  Welles  four,  Randlc  Rode  one,  Robert  Hulme 
one,  and  Thomas  Moore  one,  the  rest  to  be  chosen  by  the  trustees.  No  trust  had,  however, 
been  properly  created,  and  that  was  remedied,  and  regulations  were  drawn  up  for  the  succession 
of  governors  being  kept  up,  for  the  appointment  of  a  master,  and  the  general  management  of 
the  school.'^ 

Some  time  between  171S  and  1729,  Charles  Ward,  late  of  Bradwall,  Esq.,  by  his  last  will 
left  the  sum  of  /'200,  the  interest  whereof  was  to  be  applied  to  the  school,  and  three  boys  were 
to  be  named  by  John  Jervis,  Esq.,  of  Bradwall,  and  his  heirs,  to  be  taught  there  till  they  were  fit 
for  one  of  the  Universities,  and  they  were  to  be  called  Ward's  scholars.''  In  173 1  a  sum  of 
^£"420,  given  to  the  school  at  various  times,  was  invested  in  land  at  Smallwood,  in  Astbury 
parish,'^  the  rent  of  which  went  to  the  schoolmaster.  At  the  time  of  the  Charity  Commissioners' 
Report  in  1836  this  rent  realised  £6^.  14s.  per  annum,''  which  was  paid  to  the  Rev.  Robert  Batty, 
the  then  schoolmaster,  who  had  held  that  office  for  twenty  years.  He  taught  twenty  boys 
reading  and  the  Church  Catechism  gratis,  and  made  a  small  charge  for  teaching  writing  and 
arithmetic.     He  also  taught  as  man)-  other  boys  as  he  could  get  on  !iis  ov.'n  terms. 

It  may  perhaps  not  be  out  of  place  to  note  here  the  various  references  to  SCHOOLMASTERS 
at  Sandbach,  which  I  have  so  far  met  with,  in  addition  to  John  Shazv,  1606-1614,  Thomas  Sliaiv, 
1662,  and  Tliojiias  Hall,  clerk,  17 1 8,  already  mentioned.  Many  of  them  combined  the  two  offices 
of  schoolmaster  and  curate,  as  was  at  that  time  customary,  the  emoluments  being  very  small. 
Tluvnas  Bailey,  schoolmaster,  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  nth  February,  1655-6,  but  how  long  he 
had  been  at  Sandbach  is  not  known.  On  the  12th  May,  1691,  Otliz^'cll  Kent  wa.s  elected  school- 
master of  the  school  at  Sandbach,  and  on  the  8th  May,  1706,  Thomas  Kent,  schoolmaster,  who 
was  probably  some  relation,  was  buried  there.  A  few  years  later,  on  the  lOth  June,  171 8,  the 
burial  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Addcnbrookc,  "  Curate  and  Schoolmaster  of  Sandbach  "  is  recorded. 
Shortly  after  this  "  7]/r. //rt'jM/zrj/"  was  appointed  schoolmaster  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Welles, 
the  Vicar,  and  others,  and  he  is  probably  to  be  identified  with  the  Rev.  Ramlle  Haslehurst,  who 
was  curate  of  Sandbach  in  1726.  In  1727  Richard  Holder,  schoolmaster,  is  mentioned  in  the 
Register,  and  on  Lady-day,  1736,  the  Rev.  William  Dickin,  of  Pembroke  College,  Oxford,  B.A., 
came  as  schoolmaster  on  trial,  and  on  the  i6th  August  in  that  year  he  was  formally  appointed 
to  that  post.  He  was  for  some  years  also  curate  at  Sandbach  (see  p.  5  i  where  a  notice  of  him 
will  be  found).  In  1 741 /<'//// Z><?v-7W,  schoolmaster  is  mentioned  in  the  Register,  but  during 
the  remainder  of  that  century  no  schoolmasters,  so  called,  have  been  met  with.  It  is  probable 
that  the  Rev.  John  Sibson,  who  w  as  curate-in-charge  for  so  many  years,  may  have  acted  in  that 
capacity,  especially  as  directly  after  his  death  in  February,  1796,  the  TJt-i'.  Charles  Lockett,  B.A., 
of  Worcester  College,  Oxford,  was  appointed  schoolmaster  in  March  of  that  year.  He  was  for 
some  years  curatc-in-charge  at  Sandbach,  and  died  at  the  Vicarage  in  18 13  (see  p.  53).     The  Rev. 

*  Fur  furlher  particulars  see  the  Charity  Commissioners'  Report,  1S39. 

''  It  appears,  however,  that  no  Ward's  scholars  were  ever  appointed,  the  amount  to  be  paid  being  so  small. 

■^  The  whole  sum  invested  was  ;^620,  of  which  .^2CX3  belonged  to  the  poor. 

^  The  rent-charge  of  17s.  4d.  was  also  paid,  but  nothing  was  known  of  that  of  20s.  from  land  in  Arclid. 


THE    GRAMMAR    SCHOOL.  79 


Robert  Batty  appears  to  have  succeeded  Mr.  Lockett  and  was  the  schoolmaster  in  1836  at  the 
time  of  the  Charity  Commissioners'  Report. 

By  a  fortunate  investment  of  the  Sandbach  charities  in  land  near  Burslem,  in  Stafford- 
shire, where  coal  was  afterwards  found,  these  increased  very  much  in  value,  and  in  1848  a 
private  Act  of  Parliament  was  passed  to  provide  for  their  better  administration  (see  under 
Charities /w/tw).  Under  this  Act  buildings  for  a  new  and  enlarged  Grammar  School  were 
erected  out  of  the  Charity  Funds,  and  in  addition  to  the  income  from  the  Smallwood  estate,  the 
total  sum  to  be  spent  on  educational  purposes  was  raised  to  ;^300  per  annum,  of  which  ;^ioo 
was  to  be  paid  to  the  Sandbach  National  School,  and  i!"  140  to  the  Head  Master  of  the  Grammar 
School,  and  £60  to  the  Second  Master.  A  scheme  was  also  arranged  for  the  management  of 
the  School,  the  fees  to  be  paid,  &c. 

In  18S7  this  Act  was  amended,  and  after  the  payment  of  certain  fixed  sums  for  various 
purposes  from  the  Sandbach  Charity  Estate  (which  see  fostca),  the  whole  income  of  the 
Charity  was  to  be  used  for  educational  purposes.  This  scheme,  which  is  now  in  force, 
provides  for  the  Grammar  School  as  follows  : — 

The  Governors  of  the  Charity  Estate,  fifteen  in  number,  shall  have  the  control  and  manage- 
ment of  the  school  and  the  appointment  of  the  Head  Master.  The  Head  Master  shall  receive  a 
fixed  yearly  stipend  of  ;^I50,  and  capitation  payments  to  be  fixed  by  the  Governors,  and  his 
income  is  not  to  be  less  than  i!^300  per  annum.  He  shall-be  a  graduate  of  some  University  in  the 
United  Kingdom,  or  be  otherwise  properly  qualified  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Governors,  but  he 
need  not  be  in  holy  orders.  He  shall  live  in  the  Head  Master's  house,  and  shall  devote  his 
whole  time  to  the  school,  not  holding  any  benefice  or  cure  of  souls,  nor  undertaking  any  office 
or  employment  which  may  interfere  with  his  duties.  The  Head  Master  shall  have  the  power  of 
appointing  and  dismissing  the  Assistant  Masters  and  shall  have  the  general  management  of  the 
school,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Governors. 

Boys  to  be  admitted  shall  be  above  the  age  of  eight  \'ears,  and  shall  not  remain  after  they 
are  seventeen.  They  shall  pay  tuition  fees  of  not  less  than  £\  nor  more  than  £\o  per  annum, 
and  the  payments  for  boarders,  apart  for  tuition  fees,  shall  not  be  more  than  ^,'30  for  any  boy. 
All  boys  admitted  to  the  school  shall  pass  an  examination,  graduated  according  to  the  age 
of  the  boy,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Head  Master.  Instruction  shall  be  given  in  the  school  in 
the  following  subjects  : — Reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic  ;  geography  and  history ;  English 
grammar,  composition,  and  literature  ;  mathematics  ;  Latin ;  at  least  one  modern  foreign 
European  language  ;  natural  science,  with  special  reference  to  agriculture  and  manufactures  ; 
book-keeping,  land  surveying,  mechanical  drawing,  drawing,  drill  and  vocal  music. 

The  Governors  shall  appl)-  a  yearly  sum  of /'150,  to  be  increased  to  ^200,  for  the  purposes 
of  scholarships,  each  of  the  yearly  value  of  not  more  than  ^20,  tenable  at  the  school.  In 
awarding  these  scholarships,  two-thirds  of  them  shall  be  awarded  to  boys  who  have  been  not 
less  than  three  years  in  any  of  the  public  elementary  schools  in  the  townships  of  Sandbach, 
Arclid,  B/adwall,  Betchton,  Hassall,  and  Wheelock.  The  Governors  shall  also  apply  a  yearly 
sum  of  ;£'i  20  for  exhibitions,  each  of  a  yearly  value  of  not  more  than  £^0  tenable  elsewhere  at  any 
place  of  advanced  education  or  professional  training  approved  by  them.  These  are  to  be  awarded 
to  boys  who  have  been  in  the  school  not  less  than  three  }'ears,  and  whose  circumstances  warrant 
their  holding  them.  These  scholarships  and  exhibitions  shall  be  awarded  by  the  results  of 
examinations  held  with  that  object.     Should  the  income  of  the  Charity  Estate  increase,  and  be 


So  SANDBACH. 


more  than  is  necessary  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  charity  and  of  the  school,  the  Governors 
may  apply  it  in  improving  the  accommodation  or  convenience  of  the  school  buildings  or 
premises,  or  generally  extending  or  otherwise  promoting  the  objects  and  efficiency  of  the 
school,  or  in  maintaining  technical  or  evening  classes  in  some  one  or  more  of  the  above-named 
townships,  and  open  both  to  boys  and  girls. 

The  first  Head  Master  of  the  Grammar  School  elected  after  the  new  scheme,  established 
under  the  Act  of  Parliament  of  1848,  came  into  force,  was  the  Rev.  Lczvis  Ei'ans,  M.A.,  late 
Fellow  of  Wadham  College,  Oxford,  who  was  appointed  Head  Master  on  the  2ist  October,  1850. 
He  remained  there  till  his  death  on  the  28th  March,  1869.  A  handsome  stained  glass  wmdow 
was  placed  to  his  memor}'  in  the  church  by  "  his  fellow  parishioners,  neighbours  and  former 
pupils"  (see  p.  31).  His  successor  was  the  Rev.  Jolin  Chambers,  M.A.,  of  St.  John's  College, 
Cambridge,  appointed  14th  June,  1869,  who  was  in  turn  followed  by  the  AV^'.  ]\^.  H. 
jMaddoek,  M.A.,  late  Fellow  of  St.  John's  College,  Oxford,  appointed  12th  June,  1S71. 
Mr.  Maddock  resigned  at  Christmas,  1881,  when  the  trustees  appointed  Mr.  R.  C.  Ii/irie,  who 
had  been  Assistant  and  Second  Master  for  many  years,  to  act  as  Head  Master,  but  he  was 
never  formally  appointed  to  that  post.  He  acted  in  this  capacity  till  the  appointment  of 
Mr.  Heslop,  the  present  Head  Master.  In  February,  1882,  Mr.  Imrie  was  presented  with  a 
purse  of  money  and  a  testimonial  to  commemorate  his  long  connection  with  the  school. 

The  present  Head  Master  is  Mr.  G.  H.  HesloP,  M.A.,  late  Scholar  of  Christ's  College, 
Cambridge.  The  school  is  divided  into  classical  and  modern  sides,  with  a  large  stafif  of 
assistant  masters.  There  is  a  good  laboratory,  and  new  class-rooms  have  recently  been  erected. 
There  is  a  gymnasium  and  large  playing-fields  attached  to  the  school,  which  stands  in  a  most 
healthy  situation.  It  is  also  now  (1889)  announced  that  the  sum  of  ^420  is  annually  awarded 
in  scholarships  and  exhibitions.  With  all  these  advantages,  there  is  every  reason  to  expect 
the  school  will  become  one  of  the  leading  establishments  for  middle-class  education  in  this  part 
of  Cheshire. 


THE  CHARITIES. 


Sandbacii  has  been  exceptionally  fortunate,  not  only  in  the  sums  of  money  which  have 
been  from  time  to  time  bequeathed  to  the  parish  for  charitable  purposes,  but  also  in  the 
manner  in  which  this  money  has  been  invested.  When  the  church  was  rebuilt  in  1848, 
the  late  Vicar  had  the  following  list  of  benefactors  carved  in  the  stone-work  on  the  north 
and  south  sides  of  the  chancel.     The  list  begins  on  the  north  side,  as  follows  : — 

Origin.\l  Donors  to  the  Charity  Trust.  " 

William  Liversage,  AVheelock      ^jo  o  o 

William  Liversage,  Junr.,  Wheelock  40  o  o 

Lawrence  Swettenham,  Bradwall     10  o  o 

Humphrey  Royle,  Bradvvall     33  o  o 

Hugh  Wheelock  of  Wheelock      33  o  o 

The  use  of  ^55  of  the  last  two  sums  to  be  laid  out  in  bread  every  lord's  day. 

Robert  Hulse,  Wheelock 200 

Peter  Massey,  Sandbach i    10     o 

William  Furnivall,  do i     o     o 

Richard  Kettle,  Betchton    : i    10     o 

John  Twemlow,  Betchton   500 

William  Phy thion,  Moston  5     o     o 

Thomas  Kent,  Elton    2     o     o 

Robert  Richardson,  Sandbach    i    13     4 

John  Wright  do i     o     o 

Hugh  Sherman  do , 20     o     o 

William  York  do 30     o     o 

Katharine  Hassell         do 20     o     o 

Millisente  Rathbone,f  do 500 

William  Raven,  Sandbach   10     o     o 

William  Lingard,  Rector  of  Warmingham 100 

John  Kent     500. 

Thomas  Moulson,s  Wheelock 10     o     o 

Hugh  Goodhind,  Arclid       20     o     o 

William  Lownds,  Hassall     10     o     o 

Ralph  Wilbraham,  Nantwich  13     6     8 

Thomas  Swettenham,  Bradwall  10     o     o 

To  which  was  added  by  other  charitable  persons  a  further  sum  of  ^120.  13s.  4d.,  making 
in  the  whole  ^^420,  the  purchase  money  of  the  Burslem  estate. 

'  This  list  agrees  practically  with  one  drawn  up  about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century-,  and  now  preserved  in  the 
Harleian  M.S.S.  in  the  British  Museum  (2176,  f.  65),  which  is  headed  "  Memhria  Sacrum.  A  Catalogue  of  the  names  of  all 
such  persons  as  have  given  Legacies  to  the  poore  of  the  parish  of  Sandbach."  The  names  of  the  benefactors  are  arranged 
differently  to  those  above  given. 

'  See  her  will  on  p.  49.  s  See  his  will  printed  on  pp.  104-5. 

M 


82  SANDBACH. 


The  names  are  continued  on  the  south  side  of  the  chancel  :^ 

John  Hulse  of  Ehvorth  Hall  granted  a 

Rent  charge  of  ^4  out  of  lands  in  Elworth  to  be 

given  yearly  the  first  Sunday  after  Christmas 

Day  by  the  Vicar  and  Churchwardens  to  poor 

Housekeepers  dwelling  in  and  belonging  to 

Sandbach  Township.     Sarah  Daniels  of  Sandbach'' 

spinster  gave  ^^300  the  dividends  to  be  laid  out 

in  bread  by  the  Churchwardens  for  the  poor 
of  Sandbach  of  good  character  attendants  on  the 
Sunday  at  the  Parish  Church.     Francis  Welles 
of  Sandbach  gentleman  1694  gave  an  annuity  of  ^^5 
to  be  distributed  in  weekly  payments  to  twelve 
poor  persons  living  in  the  township  cf  Sandbach 
nominated  by  the  Parson,  Churchwardens  and 
Overseers  of  the  said  Township.     The  above  sum 
is  now  paid  from  Stock  in  the  3  per  Cent  Consolida- 
ted Annuities  in  the  names  of  the  Official 
Trustees  of  Charitable  Funds. 
John  Wheelock  to  the  Parson  and  Wardens  ^6  per  annum 
from  land  in  Hassall,'  for  teaching  poor  boys. 

The  various  sums  of  money,  enumerated  in  the  first  of  the  above  lists,  amounted  in  all  to 
the  sum  of  i^42o,  with  which,  in  1673,  an  estate  was  purchased  in  Burslem,  in  Staffordshire, 
which  has  been  the  source  of  a  large  amount  of  income  to  the  poor  of  Sandbach,  owing  to  the 
discovery  of  some  valuable  coal-mines  upon  the  estate.  A  further  sum  of  i^8o  was  invested  in 
the  purchase  of  some  more  land  in  Burslem  in  16S2.  These  two  properties  were  held  by- 
trustees,  most  of  whom  were  living  in  or  near  Sandbach,  and  new  trustees  were  appointed  from 
time  to  time  as  the  old  ones  died  or  left  the  parish. 

The  rents  received  from  them  were  directed  to  be  divided  in  certain  proportions  between 
the  various  townships  in  the  parish,  and  to  be  distributed  by  the  vicar  and  churchwardens.  At 
first  the  amounts  received  were  but  small,  but  the  population  of  the  district  having  increased, 
and  some  of  the  land  being  built  over,  in  the  year  1814  the  61  acres  let  for  ^^278.  i6s.  6d.  ;  but 
in  1834  the  rent  had  fallen  toi;'2i2.  us.  6d.  In  1S14  power  was  given  by  the  trustees  to 
certain  persons  called  the  Cobridge  Coal  Company  to  dig  for  coal  at  a  royalty  of  3s.  6d.  for 
every  20s.  worth  of  coal  at  the  pit's  mouth,  with  a  proviso  that  in  no  one  year  less  than  ;^200 
a  year  rent  was  to  be  paid. 

The  money  received  from  the  coal-pits  was  carefully  invested  by  the  trustees  )-car  by  year, 
and  by  1835  ovcr;^io,000  had  been  received  and  invested.  In  1827  an  estate  in  Little  Hassall, 
in  Sandbach  parish,  was  purchased  for  £j,g6o.  This  contained  139  acres,  and  the  rent  received 
from  it  was  distributed  by  the  vicar  and  churchwardens  according  to  the  terms  of  the  original 
trust.     At   the  time   of  the   Charity  Commissioners'  report  in  1836,  the  charity  income  for  the 

''  This  charily,  which  docs  not  appear  to  be  noticed  in  the  Charity  Commissioners'  Report  in  1S36,  is  still  administered 
as  above. 

'    this  land  in  Hassall  is  that  now  belonging  to  the  representatives  of  the  late  Mr.  James  Wright. 


THE  CHARITIES.  83 


estates  at  Burslem  and  Hassall  amounted  to  ^'448.  i  is.  6d.,  exclusive  of  the  dividends  arising 
from  the  produce  of  the  mine-rents  and  the  mine-rents  themselves,  and  there  was  a  sum  of 
£2,%6o  invested  in  the  Three  per  Cents. 

Another  charity,  known  as  Frances  Liversage's  Charit}%  dating  from  1683,  and  invested  in 
lands  in  Betchton  and  Haslingden,  was  then  distributed  with  the  above,  and  in  1S36  the  total 
income  from  all  sources  available  for  distribution  among  the  six  townships  in  the  parish 
amounted  to  between  ^^500  and  £600  a  >'car,  but  the  exact  amount  thictuatcd  >car  by  year. 
The  Charity  Commissioners  in  that  year  conclude  their  report,  which  occupies  no  less  than  ten 
folio  pages,  with  these  words  : — "  The  present  mode  of  distributing  several  hundred  pounds 
a  year  in  small  sums  of  money  cannot  be  supposed  to  do  all  the  good  which  the  expenditure  of 
such  a  sum  ought  to  do  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  town.  Whether  some  part  of  the  mine-rents 
might  not  be  advantageously  expended  for  the  purposes  of  education  in  this  large  manufacturing 
place,  or  in  some  way  to  benefit  the  whole  population,  is  a  subject  which  ought  to  be  well 
considered.  The  Burslem  purchase,  and  the  other  charities  which  have  sprung  from  it  already, 
and  the  great  increase  which  may  be  expected  in  the  income  of  the  Charit\-  in  the  course  of 
time,  will  occupy  an  important  page  in  the  history  of  charities,  and  docs  infinite  credit  to  the 
successive  trustees,  whose  judicious  and  conscientious  management  has  brought  it  to  so 
flourishing  a  condition." 

In  1848  a  private  Act  of  Parliament  was  obtained,  entitled,  "  An  Act  to  provide  for  the 
better  administration  of  certain  Charities  in  the  parish  of  Sandbach,  in  the  county  of  Chester, 
and  the  distribution  of  the  income  thereof,  and  for  vesting  the  estates  and  property  belonging 
to  the  Charities  in  new  Trustees,  and  for  enabling  the  Trustees  to  grant  leases  of  the  Charity 
estates,  and  for  other  purposes."  In  accordance  with  this  scheme,  certain  small  payments  are 
annually  made,  as  follows  : — To  the  churchwardens  of  Holmes  Chapel  ^'i,  to  those  of  Goostrey 
£2,  to  be  distributed  among  the  poor  of  those  chapelries  ;  ^3.  2>^.  to  the  vicar  of  Sandbach,  for 
Wheelock's  Sermon  ;  and  to  the  clerk  and  sexton  there,  5s.  each.  The  sum  of  iJ'200  was  also 
tc  be  annually  distributed  among  the  poor  of  the  parish.  Together  with  the  income  from  the 
Smallwood  estate  (see  p.  78),  a  sum  was  to  be  paid  for  the  purposes  of  education,  amounting  in 
all  to  ^300  per  annum,  of  which  ^100  was  for  the  Sandbach  National  School,  and  ;^200  for 
the  Grammar  School,  the  head  master  of  which  was  to  receive  _^  140,  and  the  second  master 
p^6o.  School  buildings,  with  a  residence  for  the  head  master,  were  to  be  built  out  of  the 
Charity  funds,  and  properly  furnished,  and  regulations  were  made  for  the  efficient  management 
of  the  school.  Twenty  almshouses  were  to  be  erected  for  the  reception  of  twenty  poor  persons 
over  sixty  years  of  age,  who  were  to  receive  ;^io  per  annum  each,  for  which  the  sum  of  i^200 
a  year  was  annually  to  be  paid  out  of  the  Charity  funds.  The  residue  of  the  receipts  from  the 
Charity  lands  and  the  mine-rents  were  to  be  invested  each  year  till  a  sum  of  not  less  than 
;^3,coo,  and  not  more  than  ;{^ 5,000,  had  accumulated,  when  the  same  might  be  employed  by 
the  trustees  in  aid  or  extension  of  any  of  the  above  charitable  purposes.  The  management  of 
the  Sandbach  Ch.\RITY  E.state,  as  it  was  to  be  called,  was  vested  in  fifteen  trustees 
residing  in  the  parish  of  Sandbach,  or  within  fifteen  miles  thereof",  and  possessed  of  the 
qualifications  set  out  in  the  Act. 

Since  then,  in  1887,  this  Act  was  further  modified  by  the  Charity  Commissioners.  The 
special  small  sums  were  to  be  paid  as  before,  and  the  ;{^200  to  the  poor  ;  but  £l^o  per  annum 
was  to  be  paid  to  the  Almshouses  instead  of  i!^200,  and  a  further  yearly  sum  of  i,"i20  was  to  be 

M   2 


84  SANDBACH. 


given  in  pensions  to  out-pensioners.  The  ^Tioo  to  the  National  School  was  also  continued. 
Subject  to  these  payments,  the  whole  income  of  the  Charity  was  to  be  devoted  to  educational 
purposes,  as  described  in  the  account  of  the  Grammar  School  (see  pp.  79-80),  under  the  manage- 
ment of  a  body  of  fifteen  Governors, — nine  called  Representative  Governors,  and  six  called 
Co-optati\e  Governors. 

The  Representative  Governors  are  appointed  by  the  following  electing  bodies  : — Six  by 
the  ratcpaj'crs  of  the  townships  of  Sandbach,  Arclid,  Bradwall,  Betchton,  Hassall,  and 
W'heelock ;  one  by  the  Council  of  Victoria  University  ;  one  by  the  Council  of  the  Roj'al 
jVgricultural  Society  of  England  ;  and  one  by  Her  Majesty's  Justices  of  the  Peace  for  the 
county  of  Chester  in  Quarter  Sessions.  Of  the  six  Governors  appointed  by  the  above-named 
ratepayers,  three  shall  be  resident  in  Sandbach  township,  and  three  in  some  other  or  others  of 
the  six  townships. 

The  first  Co-optative  Governors  were  twelve  in  number  instead  of  six,  and  are  named  in 
the  Act  as  follows  : — 

The  Rt.  Hon.  Hungerford,  Baron  Crewe,  of  Crewe  Hall. 

John  Latham,  of  Congleton,  solicitor. 

The  Rev.  John  Richard  Armitstead,  Vicar  of  Sandbach. 

The  Rev.  Sydney  Henry  Armitstead,  Vicar  of  Sandbach  Heath. 

Joseph  St.  John  Yates,  Esq.,  Well  Bank,  Sandbach. 

Francis  Boston,  Sandbach,  shoe  manufacturer. 

Robert  Shaw,  Sandbach,  licensed  victualler. 

Edward  Percival,  Esq.,  of  Springfields,  Bradwall,  Sandbach. 

Robert  Bygott,  of  Sandbach,  solicitor. 

John  Kennedy,  Brookside,  Sandbach,  late  Captain  3rd  Dragoon  Guards. 

Edmund  Ashton,  Esq.,  of  Luton,  co.  Bedford,  [late  of  Abbeyfield,  Sandbach]. 

Of  the  abov'e  Co-optative  Governors,  two,  Joseph  St.  John  Yates,  Esq.,  and  Mr.  Francis 
Boston,  are  now  dead,  and  Edmund  Ashton,  Esq.,  has  retired.  The  following  are  the  present 
Representative  Governors  : — 

Lord  Egerton  of  Tatton,  Tatton  Park,  Knutsford,  nominated  by  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society. 

Henry  J.  ToUemache,  Esq.,  M.P.,  Dorfold  Hall,  Nantwich,  nominated  by  the  Quarter  Sessions. 

Professor  Lamb,  Didsbury,  Manchester,  nominated  by  the  Victoria  University. 

Robert  Bebbington,  manager  of  salt  works,  l\Lalken  Bank,  Sandbach.   t 

John  Rigby,  manager  of  iron  works,  Wheelock,  Sandbach. 

Edwin  Foden,  iron  founder,  Elworth,  Sandbach. 

George  Venables,  wire  worker,  Sandbach. 

William  Eachus,  postmaster,  Sandbach. 

William  Richards,  manager  of  chemical  works,  The  Hill,  Sandbach. 


Elected  by  the  ratepayers. 


The  future  Co-optative  Governors  are  to  be  elected  by  the  general  body  of  Governors,  and 
each  shall  hold  office  for  seven  years.  The  Governors  are  required  to  hold  at  least  two 
ordinary  meetings  in  each  year.  The  present  income  of  the  Charity  estate  is  about  ^1600 
a  year. 

In  addition  to  this  important  charity,  there  are  other  smaller  ones  which  require  notice. 
The  first  of  these  is  BuUGUKV's  CllARlTV,  of  the  history  of  which  nothing  has  hitherto 
been    known,    except    that     it    was    given    by    will    to    the     poor    of    Sandbach    township. 


THE  CHARITIES.  85 


The  following  particulars  will  however  supply  the  necessary  information.-  Ellen  BoiigJiey,  of 
Sandbach,  spinster,  by  her  will  dated  2 1st  October,  1691,  and  proved  at  Chester  on  the  28th 
November  in  that  year,  after  desiring  to  be  buried  in  the  chancel  of  Sandbach  church'  and 
bequeathing  certain  small  legacies'',  devised  all  her  lands  and  hereditaments  whatsoever  in  the 
County  of  Stafford  to  her  kinsman  William  Boughey  for  his  life,  subject  to  an  annual  payment 
of  los.  to  the  Minister  of  Sandbach  for  the  time  being  to  preach  a  sermon  on  the  anniversary  of 
her  death.^  After  his  death  the  said  lands,  &c.,  were  to  go  the  use  of  the  poor  of  the  town  and 
township  of  Sandbach  only  for  ever,  subject  to  the  payment  of  the  los.  yearly.  The  church- 
wardens and  their  successors  were  to  enter  into  the  said  lands  and  secure  the  rents  thereof  and 
distribute  the  same  in  bread  every  Sunday  for  ever.  Her  generous  bequest  consists  of  a 
small  estate,  containing  about  seven  acres,  at  Chesterton,  in  Staffordshire,  near  a  public-house 
called  The  Robin  Hood.  In  1836  the  income  was  i^i3  a  year,  but  since  then  it  has  consider- 
ably increased,  and  in  1S70  a  separate  scheme  for  its  management  was  passed  by  the  Charity 
Commissioners.  It  is  now  managed  by  a  board  of  twelve  elective  trustees,  with  the  vicar  and 
churchwardens  of  Sandbach  as  ex-officio  trustees  ;  and  the  income  of  the  charity,  after  paying 
the  necessary  out-goings,  &c.,  is  applied  to  the  benefit  of  the  most  deserving  and  necessitous 
inhabitants  of  the  township  of  Sandbach,  selected  by  the  trustees,  who  provide  them  with 
clothing,  bedding,  fuel,  medical  aid,  food,  &c.,  as  they  may  think  best.  The  trustees  have  also 
power  to  apply  some  portion  of  the  income  in  aid  of  the  funds  of  any  hospital  or  infirmary,  or 
towards  the  support  of  any  school  or  schools  for  the  education  of  the  poor  of  the  township, 
or  for  the  purposes  of  small  exhibitions  for  educational  purposes.  The  income  now  amounts  to 
£i\20  per  annum. 

By  the  will  of  the  Rev.  John  Hulsc,  of  Elworth  Hall,  of  whom  an  account  is  given  on 
pp.  92-3,  a  sum  of  £^  is  annually  received  by  the  churchwardens  from  the  tenant  of  Elworth 
Hall,  and  distributed  in  sums  of  one  shilling  each  to  80  poor  people.  There  is  also  Sarah 
Daniels'  legacy  of  L^OO,  the  interest  of  which  is  distributed  in  bread  by  the  churchwardens. 

Francis  Welles,  of  Sandbach,  gentleman  (see  p.  19),  by  his  will,  dated  30th  November, 
1694,  left  £i)  per  annum  from  certain  lands  in  Sandbach,  and  20  shillings  from  lands  in  Monks 
Coppenhall.  Both  these  sums  were,  in  1836,  regularly  paid  to  the  churchwardens,  and  distributed 
by  them,  twelve  twopenny  loaves  being  distributed  every  Sunday  to  twelve  poor  persons  of  the 
township  of  Sandbach,  los.  for  preaching  a  sermon  on  the  anniversary  of  his  death  (20th 
August,  1695),  23.  6d.  to  the  clerk,  and  3s.  6d.  to  the  trustees  of  the  charity.  Since  then, 
I  believe,  these  lands  have  been  redeemed  by  a  money  payment,  invested  in  the  3  per  Cents, 
from  the  interest  of  which  the  charity  is  now  distributed  (see  p.  82). 

The  township  of  Bradwall  has  two   small  charities  belonging  to  it,  the  interest  of  ^20  left 

j  Miss  Boughey  was  very  particular  about  her  funeral,  particularly  requesting  to  be  buried  in  linen,  "and  that  care  be 
taken  to  save  half  of  the  penalty"  under  the  Act  of  Parliament  making  burial  in  woollen  compulsory.  .She  also  desired  that 
"  about  two  dozen  pair  of  Cordwant  gloves  may  be  bestowed  at  my  funeral,  and  that  John  Rathbone  and  his  wife  have  each 
of  them  a  pair."  "  And  I  desire  there  may  be  biscakes  [biscuits]  and  wine  and  cakes  and  ale  at  the  discretion  of  my 
executor." 

''  She  mentions  "my  sister  Alice  Challenor,  her  son  Francis  and  her  daughter  Horsley  "  ;  "my  kinswoman  Alice 
Goodwin";  Peter  \V.ide,  Joseph  Wade,  and  James  Wade;  "my  kinswoman  Elizabeth  Day";  "my  kinswoman  Mary 
Boughey  and  her  son."  She  also  bequeathed  to  Jonah  Bowyer  the  elder,  one  silver  salt  or  taster  at  his  choice,  and  to  Mary 
his  wife  a  gold  ring  or  a  guinea  ;  to  her  kinsman  George  Boughey,  of  London,  if  living,  a  gold  ring  with  a  seal  on  it.  She 
made  her  mark  to  her  will,  but  used  an  armorial  seal.  The  total  of  the  inventory  of  her  effects  was  £(>').  195.  6d.,  her  house- 
hold goods  being  described  as  in  the  house-place,  in  the  shop,  in  the  chamber  over  the  shop,  and  in  the  cellar. 

'  This  sermon  is  mentioned  in  the  list  of  .Anniversary  Sermons  to  be  preached  in  Sandbach  church,  given  in  the  second 
volume  of  the  Registers  (see  p.  64). 


86  SANDBACH. 


by  Jane  Yarwood,  widow,  by  her  will  dated  2nd  November,  1768,  and  one  called  Moore's 
Charity,  paid  by  the  tenant  of  the  Arclid  Hall  estate.  From  the  former,  i8s.  is  distributed  in 
small  sums  to  the  poor  of  Bradwall  on  St.  Thomas'  Day,  and  from  the  latter,  £2.  2s.  6d.,  which 
is  divided  as  follows : — To  the  clergyman  for  preaching  a  sermon  on  the  6th  Fcbruar}-," 
£\.  los. ;  to  the  clerk,  2s.  6d.;  and  to  such  poor  people  as  attend  the  sermons,  los.  in  small 
sums. 

Two  charities,  one  left  by  Thomas    Parrott,   and   the  other  by  Margaret  Parrott,  were  lost 
prior  to  the  time  of  the  Charity  Commissioners'  return  in  1S36. 

The  Modern  Town  of  S.\ndbacii. 

It  is  not  in  my  power  to  trace  the  modern  history  of  Sandbach  at  any  length.  It  is  a  small 
market  and  manufacturing  town  of  about  4,000  inhabitants,  but  if  the  whole  of  the  township  of 
Sandbach  be  included,  this  number  will  be  increased  to  about  5,000.  The  principal  manu- 
factures now  are  silk-throwing  and  the  making  of  boots  and  shoes,  but,  in  addition,  there 
are  large  chemical  works,  salt  works,  and  iron  works  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood.  In  the 
seventeenth  century  Sandbach  was  famous  for  its  ale  ^see  p.  10),  a  branch  of  industr)'  now  lost 
to  the  town. 

The  market,  as  already  described,  (see  p.  8)  was  granted  to  Sir  John  Radcliff,  of  Ordsall, 
near  Manchester,  Knt.,  the  then  lord  of  the  manor  of  Sandbach,  by  Queen  Elizabeth,  on  the 
4th  April,  1579,  to  be  held  on  e\ery  Thursdax*.  At  the  same  time  licence  was  granted  for  two 
fairs  to  be  held  in  the  town  on  the  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  in  Easter  week,  and  on  the 
Thursday  and  Friday  before  the  feast  of  the  Nativity  of  our  Lord  [September  8].  Thursday  is 
still  the  market  da\',  but  the  fairs  are  now  held  on  the  Tuesday  in  Easter  week,  the  first 
Thursday  after  the  12th  September,  and  on  the  2Sth  December. 

The  Rt.  Hon.  Hungerford,  Lord  Crewe,  of  Crewe  Hall  (whose  arms  are  given  on  p.  g), 
is  the  lord  of  the  manor  of  Sandbach,  and  this  year,  1889,  he  has  in  the  most  generous  manner 
conveyed  as  a  gift  to  the  town,  the  perpetual  right  to  all  the  market-tolls,  together  with  a  site 
for  a  new  Market  Hall,  upon  which  a._covered  market  and  Town  Hall  and  offices  arc  now  being 
erected  at  a  cost  of /^5, 000. 

The  Literary  Institution  is  the  chief  building  in  the  town.  It  was  designed  by  Sir  Gilbert 
Scott,  and  erected,  chiefly  by  subscription,  in  1S57.  The  lower  rooms  are  used  as  reading- 
rooms  and  for  small  meetings,  the  long  room  upstairs  being  used  for  balls,  concerts,  and  la.rge 
meetings,  as  also  for  the  Petty  Sessions  and  Highway  Board  meetings.  The  Corn  Exchange, 
which  forms  part  of  the  same  block  of  public  buildings  as  the  Literary  Institution,  is  well 
adapted  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  erected.     The  cost  of  these  buildings  was  /^2,700. 

The  Old  Hall,  which  stands  opposite  to  the  south  side  of  the  church,  is,  as  shown  in  the 
illustration  on  the  opposite  plate,  a  ver\'  picturesque,  black  and  white,  timber  and  plaster 
building.  It  was  not  improbably  at  one  time  the  residence  of  the  lords  of  the  manor  of  Sandbach, 
but  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  particulars  of  its  past  history.  On  one 
side  are  the  following  initials  and  date  : — T.  B.  1656.  It  is  now  divided  into  two  tenements, 
one  of  which  is  used  as  a  public-house.     Some  of  the  rooms  still  retain  their  old  panelling. 

"■  See  p.  64. 


TOWN    OF    SANDBACH,    ST.    JOHN'S    CHURCH. 


87 


The  Black  Bear  Inn,  in  the  Market-place,  is  also  a  picturesque,  black  and  white,  timber  and 
plaster  building,  but  on  a  smaller  scale  than  the  Old  Hall. 

The  earliest  list  of  the  principal  inhabitants  of  Sandbach  appears  in  Brostcr's  Chester  ami 
Cheshire  Guide,  issue  in  178 1,  but  this,  which  is  very  short  and  incorrect,  is  given  in  a  far  more 
accurate  form  in  the  second  edition  of  that  Guide,  which  appeared  in  the  following  )'ear,  1782. 
The  list  as  there  given,  which  will  have  an  interest  for  the  present  inhabitants,  is  as  follows  : — 

List  of  the  Prinxipal  Imiabitants  of  Sandbach  in  1782.° 


Bostock,  Samuel. 

Broome,  Thomas,  Gent. 

Broome,  William. 

Bull,  Thomas,  Mercer  and  Draper. 

Darlington,  Richard. 

Furnivall,  John. 

Furnivall,  George. 

Galley,    Richard,     Mercer    and 

Draper. 
Garnet,  Samuel,  Gent. 
Haddon,  Rev.  Mr.,  Vicar. 
Henshall,    George,    Corn-dealer, 


Hilditch,  John. 

Hodson,  George. 

Holland,  John. 

Lindop,  William,  George  Inn. 

Lowndes,  Thomas,  Gent. 

Lowndes,  William,  jun. 

ALiinwaring,  John,  Esq. 

Millington,  Thomas,  Surgeon. 

Parker,  John  Robert,  Esq. 

Parrott,  Thomas. 

Podmore,  Richard,  Ironmonger. 

Proudlove,  Joseph. 

Ravenscroft,  Thomas. 


Richardson,  Robert. 
Richardson,  John. 
Sibson,  John,  Rev.,  Curate. 
Skerratt,     Joseph,     Attorney-at- 

Law. 
'J'vvemlow,  Richard,  Surgeon. 
Wells,  John,  Esq. 
Whitehead,  William,  Attorney-at- 

Law. 
Whitney,  Thomas. 
Wright,  Thomas,  Cheese  Factor. 
Wright,  Thomas,  Gent. 


Grocer,  and  Haberdasher. 

The  Church  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist  on  SANDBACH  Heath  in  this  township,  was  built 
and  endowed  in  1S61  at  the  sole  cost  of  Miss  Sarah  Sibson,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Sibson, 
for  many  years  curate  of  Sandbach.  He  died  in  1796,  aged  60  years  (see  copy  of  his 
monumental  tablet  on  p.  38),  but  Miss  Sibson's  death  did  not  occur  till  the  nth  July,  1S57 
when  she  was  90  years  of  age.  The  architect  of  the  church  was  the  late  Sir  Gilbert  Scott,  and 
it  cost  i^5,ooo.  The  endowment  was  .^7,000,  making  in  all  £12,000.  Over  the  entrance  is  the 
following  inscription,  carved  in  stone  : — 

"  This  church  is  dedicated  to  St.  John  the  Evangelist  and  was  built  and  endowed  with 
funds  bequeathed  by  Sarah  Sibson,  in  memory  of  her  father,  John  Sibson,  36  years  curate  of 
the  Parish  of  Sandbach.    a.d.  1861." 

The  church,  which  was  consecrated  on  the  12th  June,  1861,  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  cross 
with  a  tower  and  spire,  standing  on  the  four  arches  forming  the  junction  of  the  nave,  the 
transepts,  and  the  chancel.  This  is  very  unusual  in  a  church  so  small  as  this  is,  the  sitting 
accommodation  being  only  for  300  persons.  The  Rev.  Sydney  Henry  Annitslead,  M.A., 
nominated  by  the  Rev.  John  Armitstead,  Vicar  of  Sandbach,  on  the  30th  December,  1861,  is 
the  first  and  present  Vicar. 

The  Communion  Plate  belonging  to  this  church  bears  the  following  inscriptions  : — • 
On  the  back  of  the  paten,  "St.  John's  Church,  Arclid."     The  gift  of  Elizabeth  Broome,  i85i." 
On  the  base  of  each  of  the  two  cups,  "  St.  John's  Church,  Arclid.     The  gift  of  Frances  Rickards,  1S60 


"  Another  list,  even  shorter  than  this,  but  containing  names  which  do  not  occur  in  this  list,  will  be  found  in  Cowdroy's 
Cheshire  Directory  and  Guide,  1789. 

°  Mr.  Armitstead  infoDns  me  this  is  a  mistake.  The  church  is  really  built  oa  Sandbach  Heath,  in  the  township  of 
Sandbach,  and  not  in  Aiclid  township,  although  closely  adjacent  to  it. 


88  SANDBACH. 


On  the  base  of  the  flagon,  "  In  memory  of  Helen,  eldest  daughter  of  Charles  and  Frances  Rickards,  late 
of  Manchester ;  granddaughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Broome,  late  of  Sandbach,  who  died 
May  19th,  1S60,  and  was  buried  at  Sandbach.  The  gift  of  her  surviving  sister  and  brothers,  1S61. 
St.  John's  Church,  Arclid  (in  centre)." 

On  the  first  page  of  the  Parish  Book  belonging  to  this  church  is  the  following  notice  : — 
"  The  attention  of  Incumbents  and  Churchwardens  of  the  Parish  of  St.  John's,  Sand- 
bach Heath,  is  here  called  to  a  Memorandum,  dated  July  23rd,  1878,  and  inserted  in  this  book 
in  the  page  immediately  following  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  held  May  6th,  1878."  The 
Memorandum,  to  which  attention  is  so  specially  directed,  is  as  follows  : — 

"  Be  it  remembered  that  in  the  year  1S67  Ch.\rles  Hilditch  Rick.^rds,  of  Manchester,  being  the 
owner  of  the  Brick  House  Farm,  in  the  parish  of  Sandbach,  lands  whereof  are  adjacent  to  Sandbach 
Heath  Church  on  three  sides  of  the  same,  did  at  his  sole  cost  and  charges  cause  to  be  made  a  certain 
footpath  across  his  land,  running  direct  from  Sandbach  Heath-lane  to  the  porch  on  the  south  side  of  this 
church,  and  farther,  did  cause  gates  to  be  set  up  at  either  end  thereof;  which  footpath  he  did  give  and 
devote  for  the  glory  of  God  and  for  the  use  and  convenience  of  parishioners  and  other  persons  attending 
divine  service  at  the  before-mentioned  Church. 

"  Whereupon  the  Incumbent  and  Churchwardens  of  this  parish  did  promise  and  undertake,  both  for 
themselves  and  their  successors  for  ever,  that  neither  for  burials  nor  for  any  other  purpose  whatsoever, 
should  any  carriage,  conveyance,  or  horse  be  suffered  to  go  over  the  said  footpath  ;  and  further,  that  it 
should  be  and  remain  a  footpath  only  and  solely  for  the  use  of  persons  going  to  the  before-mentioned 
church  for  the  purpose  of  attending  divine  service,  and  that  the  gates  at  either  end  thereof  should  remain 
locked  at  all  times,  save  and  except  certain  convenient  hours  on  Sundays  and  other  days  on  which  divine 
service  is  accustomed  to  be  performed  in  the  said  church. 

"  And  to  this  purpose  the  said  Charles  Hilditch  Rick.\rds  doth  hold  the  Incumbent  and  Church- 
wardens of  the  parish  bound,  as  well  as  those  that  now  are  as  those  that  shall  come  after  them  for  ever, 
and  doth  rely  upon  their  honour  and  good  faith  for  the  due  performance  of  the  same,  both  in  the  letter 

and  in  the  spirit  thereof. 

(Signed)  "Sydney  Henry  Armitstead, 

"  Incumbent  of  St.  John's,  Sandbach  Heath. 
''July  22,rd,  1878." 

In  the  church  are  some  excellent  examples  of  modern  stained  glass,  by  Messrs.  Clayton  & 
Bell.  The  East  window  was  placed  there  by  the  late  Mr.  Peter  Hollins,  of  Sandbach, 
to  the  memory  of  his  wife,  and  under  the  window  is  the  following  inscription  carved  in 
the  stone  : — 

"  This  window  was  placed  in  this  Church  by  Peter  Hollins  in  memory  of  his  wife  Joyce  Jane 

Hollins,  who  died  Sep''.  2"'',  1S63.     Aged  60  years." 
The  West  window  was  given  by  John  Bradshaw,  Esq.,  late  of  Brookside  in  this  Parish,  and 
is  a  very  fine  one. 

Also  in  the  North  Transept  there  has  lately  been  placed  a  window  in  memory  of  the  late 
Mrs.  Kennedy,  of  Brookside,  by  her  neighbours  and  friends;  near  which  window  is  carved  on 
the  wall  the  following  inscription  :  — 

"  The  window  in  this  Transept  was  placed  there  in  memory  of  Anna  Kennedy,  of  Brookside   in 

this  Parish,  by  all  her  neighbours,  rich  and  poor,  as  a  perpetual  memorial  of  their  respect  and  love." 
The  carved-oak  Rcrcdos  is  of  very  beautiful  design,  the  delicacy  of  the  work  being  specially 
noticeable. 


SANDBACH  TOWNSHIP. 


Elworth,  an  estate  partly  in  this  township  and  partly  in  Bradwall,  was  granted  by 
William,  son  of  Richard  de  Bradwall,  to  Ralph,  his  son,  who  took  the  name  of  Ralph  de 
Elworth."  He  had  issue  two  daughters  and  co-heirs,  one  of  whom,  Maud,  married  Robert 
Raven™  (sometimes  called  Robert  de  Elworth),  and  the  other,  Alice,  married  Henry  de 
Rouncevale,  both  of  whom  were  li\ing  in  the  7  Edward  H.  [1313-14].'^ 

Robert  Raven,  according  to  a  pedigree  of  the  family  drawn  up  by  John  Booth,  of  Twemlow, 
the  genealogist,  in  1652,  and  based  on  old  deeds,  &c.,  was  descended  from  Raven  or  Ravcnus 
de  Bromborough,  co.  Chester,  who  had  a  son,  Ravenus  de  Ratonsfeld,  in  Bromborough,  whose 
son  was  called  Reginald  fil  Raven.  The  latter  had  a  son  William,  son  of  Reginald,  whose  son 
was  Robert  Raven,  of  Elworth.  This  Robert  was  living  in  1 3 14,  1326,  and  1329,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  son,  Ralph  Raven,  of  Elworth,  living  1326  and  1329,  who  had  issue 
Henry  Raven.  This  Henr)''s  wife,  Mabel  (said  to  have  been  the  daughter  and  heir  of 
John  Legh,  of  Booths,  co.  Chester),  was  a  widow,  5  Henry  V.  [1417-18].  In  that  year 
Thomas  de  Radclyf  and  Mabel,  his  wife,  who  was  the  wife  [z'.f.,  widow]  of  Henry  Raven,  sued 
William  Raven,  of  Elleworth  [son  and  heir  of  the  said  Henry],  for  dower  of  i  messuage,  20  acres 
of  land,  3  acres  of  wood,  and  20  acres  of  pasture  in  Sondebache.^  From  this  William  descended, 
as  shown  in  the  accompanying  pedigree,  WiLLlAM  RAVEN,  of  Elworth,  living  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  sixteenth  century,  who  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  William  Berington,  of 
Bradwall,  by  whom  he  had  a  son  and  heir,  Randle  Raven,  of  Elworth,  who  married  Ellen, 
daughter  of  William  Bowyer,  of  Knipersley,  co.  Stafford,  Esq.  They  had  issue  five  sons, — 
William,  the  eldest  son,  died  s.  p.,  John  Raven,  of  Elworth,  gentleman,  second  son  and  heir, 
Andrew,  Randle,  and  George, — and  three  daughters.  Of  these  sons,  "  Andrew  Rane,"  as  he 
styles  himself,  made  his  will  5th  May,  1575,  which  was  proved  at  Chester  5th  July  ir:  that 
year.     He  desired  to  be  buried  at  Sandbach,  and  names  many  of  his  relations  and  friends.'- 

John  Raven,  of  Elworth,  gent.,  married  Joan,  daughter  of  Roger  Parker,  "Gentleman  of 
the  Chamber "  to  Queen  Elizabeth,  by  whom  he  had  a  son  and  heir,  William,  who  was 
born  c.  1578,  and  four  other  children.  He  was  buried  at  Sandbach  30th  April,  1616." 
William  Raven,  of  Elworth,  gent.,  married  Ann,  daughter  of  John  Aldersey,  of  Spurstowe, 
CO.  Chester,  gent,  (the  marriage  licence  being  dated  at  Chester,  23rd  October,  1617),  by 
whom  he  had  issue  three  sons  and  four  daughters.  He  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty,  being 
buried  at  Sandbach  17th  Feb.  1667-8.  His  will  is  dated  20th  July,  1667,  with  a  codicil 
dated  21st  Jan.  1667-S,  in  which  the  testator  is  described  as  "sitting  in  a  chayre  by  the 
fyre  in  a  Chamber  in  his  house  att  Ellworth."  To  his  grandson,  William  Raven,  he  bequeathed 
all  his  silver  plate,  and  adds:  "If  my  son  William  Raven  do  make  any  claim  or  title  to 
the  gilt    silver  bowl  and   cover,  which  were  given   by  my  sister   White''    to  the  heirs   of  the 

'  According  to  some  notes  made  by  John  Booth,  of  Twemlow,  the  genealogist,  based  on  old  deeds,  &c.  By  others  it  is 
said  that  Richard  de  Bradwall  granted  Elworth  to  his  son  Thomas,  who  was  called  Thomas  de  Elworth. 

"  Sometimes  also  called  Robert  Raven  de  Ellworth,  clerk,  or  Robert,  the  clerk  of  Ellworth. 

'  A  few  references  to  persons  of  the  name  of  Elworth  occur  on  the  Cheshire  Rolls.  Thomas  de  Elleswor/h  and  Waller  de 
Elleswo7-th  occur  in  19  Edward  II.  [1325-6]  ;  Beatrice,  wife  of  Walter  de  Ellesworth,  occurs  in  1335. 

1  Cheshire  Plea  Rolls.  In  the  I  Henry  VI.  [1422],  she  claimed  dower  of  2  messuages,  4  acres  of  land,  4  acres  of  meadow, 
and  20  acres  of  pasture  in  Sondebache. 

^  He  mentions  his  mother,  "  Ellyn  Rane,"  then  alive,  his  lirothers  and  sisters,  "John  Rane,  Andrew  Rane,  Ellyn  More, 
Elizabeth  Burgis,  and  Margery  Rane,"  and  an  "  aunt,  Elizabeth  Kane,  and  her  children."  John  Shaue,  clerk,  was  one  of 
the  witnesses,  at)d  probably  the  writer  of  the  will. 

•  To  a  deed  dated  2nd  Oct.  i6il,  and  signed  by  him  "  per  me  Johne  Raven,"  he  affixed  his  seal — a  curious  merchant's 
mark — and  round  it  the  inscription  I0H.\  raven. 

'•  His  sister,  Mary  Raven,  married  Edward  White,  of co.  Essex,  Esq. 

N 


90 


SANDBACH. 


house  of  Elworth  successively  [for  ever],  that  then  my  said  son  shall  give  unto  my  said 
executors  sufficient  security  for  the  preserving  of  the  said  bowl  and  cover  for  my 
said  grandchild  William  Raven's  use."  He  also  desired  that  his  said  grandson  should 
"  be  bred  up  with  learning  and  sent  to  one  of  the  Universities  for  the  space  of  two 
years  at  the  least,  and  from  thence  to  one  of  the  Inns  of  Court,  to  be  further  educated  in 
the  studies  of  the  lawcs  of  the  land  by  the  space  of  7  years  more."  This  will  was  proved 
at  Chester,  on  the  4th  April,  i66S.'^ 

His  two  elder  sons,  John  and  Matthew,  having  died  without  issue,  he  was  succeeded 
by  his  third  son,  WILLIAM  RAVEN,  of  Elworth,  gent,  (baptised  at  Sandbach,  28th  Sept.  1628), 
who  married  Katherine,  daughter  of  John  Bromfield,  of  co.  Middlesex,  by  whom  he  had  an 
only  surviving  son,  William,  and  two  daughters,  Anne  and  Mary.  He  was  buried  at 
Sandbach  20th  Aug.  1686,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  who  is  so  particularly  named  in  his 
grandfather's  will  in  1667.  This  WiLLIAM  Raven,  was  buried  at  St.  Mary's,  Chester,  on  the 
18th  April,  1691,  and  as  he  had  no  issue  the  Elworth  estates  fell  to  his  brother-in-law,  Tlwinas 
Hiilse,  of  Clive,  co.  Chester,  gent.,  the  husband  of  his  younger  sister  Mary,  and  so  this 
estate,  which  had  been  in  the  possession  of  the  Raven  family  for  over  350  years,  passed  away 
from  them.     The  descent  of  this  family  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  pedigree. 


lAabni  of  €IU)ortI). 


A)iiis :  Or  a  raven  proper,  standing 
on  a  ball  Gules,  langueJ  and  ungled 
Gules. 


Robert  Raven       = 

(son  of  William  and 

grandson  of  "  Reginald, 

son  of  Raven  "),  of 

Elworth,  Jim  u.xoris. 

Living  1314,  1325,  1329. 


M.-\UD,  daughter 

and  co-heir  of 

Ralph  de  Elworth. 

7  Edward  II. 

[1313-14]- 


Authorities:  A  pedigree  drawn  up 
by  John  Booth,  of  Twemlow,  in 
1652,  based  on  old  deeds,  Aic.  ;  au 
illuminated  pedigree,  c.  1646,  in 
Hurl.  MS.  2,006,  f.  42 ;  Sandbach 
Registers,  wills,  &c.  &c. 


Ralph  Raven,  = 

of  Elworth. 
Living  1325,  1329. 


Henry  Raven 
(second  son). 


I 
William  Raven 

(third  son). 
Had  issue  three 
daus.,  co-heirs. 


Henry  Raven, 

of  Elworth. 
Dead  before  1417. 


Mabel  (called  dau.  and 
heir  of  John  Legh,  of  Booths, 

but  ?).     She  niarr. 
(2)  Thomas  de  Radcliffe. 

Living  141 7,  1422. 


William  Raven, 
of  Elworth.     Living  1417. 


T 


William  Raven  (or  Rawne),    t=   Cicely  (said  to  be  dau.  of  John 
of  Elworth.     Living  1435,  1437.  W'heelock,  but  ?).    Living  1437. 


1 

WiLLLVM  Raven  (or  Rawne), 

of  Elworth. 

Living  1437,  1470. 

Made  his  will  14S4. 


I 
Robert  Raven 
(fourth  son). 


Alice,  dau 
of  ...  . 


2.  John  Raven. 


Hugh  R.aven.     4.  John  R.iven,     5.  William  Raven, 
jun. 


All  living  14S0. 


'  A  commission,  dated  31st  March,  166S,  was  issued  to  Zachary  Cawdrey,  clerk.  Rector  of  Barthomley,  and  Richard 
Jackson,  clerk,  minister  of  Wich  Malbanc  [N.mtwich],  to  take  the  oaths  of  Thom.is  Aldersey,  Esq.,  and  Thomas  Wood,  of 
Newcastle,  gent.,  two  of  the  executors  named  in  the  will  of  William  Raven,  gent.,  deceased,  Randle  Poole,  of  Alsager, 
another  executor,  having  renounced,  and  John  Leadbeater,  of  Hermitage,  the  fourth  executor,  being  dead. 


ELWORTH.     THE  RAVEN  AND  HULSE  FAMILIES. 


91 


J\abfn  of  (£\\3)0lli)—{c-on/i!mcd). 


William  Raven,    =p  Ellex,  dau.  of    ...     . 

of  Ehvortli.  and  widow  of  John 

Living  1484,  1501.  Higgenson,  of  Warmincham. 


2.  Huf'h  Raven. 


Alice  Raven. 


2.  Maud  Raven. 


Living  1484. 


Ralph  Raven.    ^    Maud,  dau. 


Died  before  his 
father. 


of 
Living  1513. 


2.  Hugh  Raven,  =  Joan,  dau.  of         3.  William  Raven, 
of  Withington.  John  of  Nevvbold. 

Winkinston  (?).  Living  1530. 


I 

Alice  Raven,  married 

George,  son  of  William 

Berington,  of  Bradwall 

(his  second  wife). 

Living  1413. 


I 
William  Raven,    ^  Elizabeth,  dau.  of  =   Emma,  dau.  of 


of  Ehvorth. 


William  Berington, 

of  Bradwall. 

{  F/rst -a,/.:) 


and  widow  of 

Roger  Pott,  of  Harrop. 

Living  1530. 

(Second  wife.) 


Jnan 
Raven. 


I 
Margaret 
Raven. 


Randle  Raven, 

of  Elworth. 
Dead  before  1572. 


Ellen,  dau.  of  William  Bowyer, 

of  Knipersley,  co.  Staft'ord,  Esq. 

Living  a  widow  1572,  1575. 


I 
William 
Raven, 
son  and 

heir. 
Died  s.p. 


I 

^^  illiam  Raven, 

of  Ehvorth,  gent.    Born  c.  1578. 

^t.  74  in  1652.     Bur.  at  .S., 

17  Feb.  1667-8,  tet.  90. 

Will  made  20  July,  1667. 

Pr.  at  Chester  166S. 


1 

John  Raven,  ^ 

=  Jane,  sister  of  Roger 

1 
Andrew 

1 
Randle 

1 
George 

1                   1 
Ellen       Elizabeth 

of  Elworth, 

Parker,  Gentleman  of 

Raven. 

Raven, 

Raven. 

Raven.       Raven. 

gent. 

the  Chamber  to  Queen 

Living 

of  Sandbach. 

Living 

Marr.         Marr. 

Living  and 

Elizabeth,  and  co-heir 

1575- 

Will  dated 

1575,  and 

Thomas      Ralph 

married  1575. 

to  her  brother. 

5  May. 

married. 

Moore.      Burgess. 

Bur.  at 

Bur.  at  Sandbach, 

Pr.  5  July, 

Sandbach, 

7  Feb.  1627-8. 

1575- 

Living  1575. 

30  April,  1616. 

s.p. 

I 

Marg 
Rave 


=p     Ann,  dau.  of 
John  Aldersey,  of 
Spurstowe,  co. 
Chester,  Esq. 
Marr.  lie.  d.ated 
23  Oct.  1617. 


I 
John 
Raven, 
second 
son. 
Died  s.p. 


I 

Elizabeth  Raven. 

Marr.  to  Mathias 

Bacon,  of  Gray's 

Inn,  CO.  Middlesex. 

Living  1634. 
(Visit,  of  London.) 


I 

Mary  Raven. 

Marr.  to 

Edward  White, 

of    ...     . 

CO.  Essex,  Esq. 


I 
....   Raven. 

Marr.  to 
Robert  Corke, 
of  Oakhanger, 
in  HaslinFton. 


John 
Raven , 

son  and 

heir. 
Died  s.p. 


I 
I.William  Raven,= 

of  Elworth,  gent. 
Born  13  Nov.  1654. 
Admon.  at  Chester 

6  June,  1691. 

Bur.  at  St.  ^Iary's  , 

Chester,  18  April, 

1691.    s.p. 


Matthew 

1 
William  Raven,  =j 

=   Katherine, 

Mary  Raven. 

1 
Anne 

Raven 

of  Ehvorth,  gent. 

dau.  of  John 

Marr.  at  Holmes 

Raven. 

(second 

(third  son). 

Bromlield,  of 

Chapel,  25  May, 

Bur.  at  S., 

son). 

Bapt.  at  Sandbach, 

1646,  to  Arthur 

17  March, 

Died  s.p. 

28  Sept.  1628. 

CO.  Middlesex. 

Kinaston,  of 

1645-6. 

Bur.  there. 

Living  1667. 

Pantibirsley  and 

20  Aug.  1 686. 

Dodleston,  co.  Salop. 
1 

Sleanor  Raven. 

Elizabeth 

Marr.  at  S., 

Raven. 

22  Nov.  1650, 

Eur.  at  S. 

to  Robert 

14  Aug. 

Lowndes, 

1633- 

of  Overton, 

CO.  Chester. 

^Elizabeth,  dau. 
of      ...     . 


Living  1691 


I 

2.  Matthew  Raven, 
Bapt.  at  S., 
18  July,  1658. 

Bur.  there, 
16  Nov.  1658. 


I.  Anne  Raven. 

Born  at  Audley, 

30  Nov.  1653. 

Living  1667. 


I 
2.  Mary  Raven. 

Bapt.  at  S., 
30  Sept.  1660. 
Married  there, 
24  April,  1679. 


A 


-  Thomas  Hulse, 

of  Clive,  gentleman. 

and  of  Ehvorth, 

J^ire  iixoris. 

Living  1728,  and 

then  tet.  78. 


A 
Hulse  of  Elworth. 


T^O^L\S  Hulse,  who  thus  .succeeded  to  Ehvorth  Hall,  in  right  of  his  wife,  to  whom  he 
was  married  at  Sandbach,  4th  April,  1679,  was  descended  from  a  family  settled  at  Clive,  near 
Middlewich,  for  several  generations.  His  grandfather,  Ralph  Hulse,  married  Mary,  daughter 
of  Humphrey  Whittingham,  of  Middlewich,  and  had  issue  Ralph  Hulse,  of  Clive  (who  married 
a  daughter  of  Hugh  Minshull,  of  Farm),  and  three  other  sons,  Hugh,  Humphrey,  and  Thomas, 

N    2 


SANDBACH. 


the  latter  of  whom  married  Katherinc,  daughter  of  Thomas  Malbon,  of  Nantwich  (and 
reHct  of  George  Reynalds,  of  Rcdish),  and  was  the  father  of  Thomas  Hulse,  the  husband 
of  Alary  Raven.''  TlloMAS  HuLSi:,  of  Ehxorth,  gent.,  died  c.  1735,  and  was  succeeded 
b)'  Iiis  eldest  son  and  iieir,  Thomas.  This  TlKi.MAS  HuLSE  married  Anne,  the  daughter  of 
a  jNIr.  Webb,  of  Middlewich,  a  hid\'  of  considerable  fortune,  estimated  by  some  at  from 
^^10,000  to  ^20,000.  The\-  had  the  large  number  of  nineteen  children,  the  eldest  of  whom 
was  born  in  170S  ;  seven  were  living  in  1777,  and  yet  none  left  an\' survi\'ing  issue!  Anne 
Hulse  was  buried  at  Sandbach  9th  Aug.  1750,  aged  sixty-three,  and  Thomas  Hulse,  gent., 
was  buried  there  19th  April,  1753,  aged  seventy-two  years. 

John  Hulse,  the  eldest  son  and  heir  of  Thomas  and  Anne  Hulse,  was  born  at  Middlewich, 
15th  March,  1708,'^  and  was  educated  at  the  Grammar  School,  Congleton  ;  and  in  1724,  when 
sixteen  years  of  age,  was  entered  at  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge,  being  taken  thither,  on 
horseback,  by  his  grandfather,  then  seventy-eight  years  of  age.''  Shortly  after  this  his  grandfather 
died,  and  his  father  succeeded  to  the  estate  ;  but  not  long  after  he  quarrelled  with  his  father, 
and  never  returned  to  his  home,  living,  when  not  at  College,  with  his  aged  grandmother.  At 
College  he  obtained  a  prize  for  a  Latin  ode,  and  took  his  B.A.  degree  in  1728.  He  was  ordained 
in  1732,  and  held  the  curacy  of  Yoxall,  co.  Stafford.  He  married,  in  1733,  Mar}',  the  daughter 
of  Edward  Hall,  of  the  Hermitage,  in  Holmes  Chapel,  Esq.  {sf£  the  pedigree  of  this  family 
under  Holmes  Chapel),  by  whom  he  had  an  only  son,  Edward  Hulse,  born  at  the  Hermitage  in 
1734,  but  who  died,  unmarried,  in  1756,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-two.  In  1735  he  took  the 
small  curacy  of  Goostrcy  (sce/^vAvr),  where  lie  remained  till  the  death  of  his  father  in  1753, 
when  lie  took  possession  of  the  famil}'  estates,  which  had  been  strictly  entailed  on  the  eldest 
son  at  the  time  of  his  father's  marriage.  He  relinquished  all  clerical  duty,  and  lived  ver}' 
quietly  at  Elworth  Hall  till  his  death  on  the  14th  Dec.  1790,  aged  eight}--two."  He  is  described 
as  being  of  a  delicate  frame  of  bod}-,  of  a  contemplative  turn  of  mind,  of  diminutive  stature,  and 
of  an  irritable  temperament.  He  is  also  said  to  have  been  well  versed  in  medicine,  and  to  have 
played  on  the  violin,  flute,  and  other  instruments.  In  one  of  the  many  codicils  to  his  will,  he 
leaves  "  his  fine  organ  "  to  Elizabeth  Plant  (one  of  his  favourite  servants),  and  disposed  of  "his 
violins  and  flutes  and  all  Corelli's  works  and  Purcell's  Book  of  Songs,  with  his  Sonatas  and 
all  his  Solos  and  Sonatas  and  single  songs  for  those  instruments."  In  a  subsequent  codicil  he 
bequeathed  "  his  smaller  organ  and  diagonal  mirror  or  optical  machine,  with  the  large  collection 
of  fine  coloured  prints  to  be  viewed  therein,"  to  Thomas  Plant,  by  whom  they  were  afterwards 
presented  to  the  Master  of  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge.''  In  his  will  he  remembered  the  other 
members  of  his  family,  his  charitable  bequests  having  only  to  take  effect  after  a  pro\-ision  made 
for  his  several  relations,  he  having  left  no  children,  and  his  relations  not  having  any. 

His  will  is  dated  21st  July,  1777,  when  he  was  in  his  seventieth  year.     It  is  a  document  of 

''  .See  //<»•/.  J/S.  2,161,  f.  112,  new  notation.     A  number  of  Hulse  deeJs  will  be  foumi  in  //a:/.  J/S.  2,037,  f.  33:. 

■■  He  is  erroneously  stated  in  Debretl's  Baioncftigc'  to  have  been  tlie  eldest  son  of  Sir  Edward  Hulse,  the  first  baronet 
of  that  name  ! 

'  The  chief  facts  in  this  account  of  John  Hulse  are  derived  from  a  very  full  memoir  of  him,  drawn  up  by  the  Rev. 
Richard  Parkinson,  B.D.,  and  prefixed  to  the  Hulsean  Lectures  delivered  by  him  at  Cambridge  in  1S37  ;  "  /Ctifio/in/is»i  and 
Kevilatton  ....  in  eiyht  discourses,  preached  before  the  University  of  Cambridge  in  the  year  1837,  with  a  memoir  of  the 
Founder  of  the  Lecture,  the  Rev.  John  flulse,  by  the  Rev.  Richard  Pari<inson,  B.D.     London  :   1S3S." 

«  He  was  buried  at  Middlewich,  as  thus  entered  in  the  Register  there  : — "  1790  The  Reverend  John  Hulse  of  Elworth 
buried  22  December,"  and  a  monument  to  his  memory  was  placed  in  the  church  there. 

■^  The  arms  of  the  Hulse  family,  and  those  of  his  grandmother  Raven,  were  presented  by  Mr.  Plant  to  the  Library  of 
St.  John's  College,  Cambridge,  where  I  believe  they  are  still  preserved. 


ELWORTH.     THE  HULSE  FAMILY.  93 

very  great  length,  a  copy  of  it  making  a  folio  volume  of  nearly  four  hundred  pages  of  close  writing. 
It  has  nine  codicils,  the  last  bearing  date  23rd  Nov.  1789.  He  left  his  estates  in  Middlewich  and 
Newton  to  his  brothers  and  sisters  (of  whom  seven  were  then  living)  for  the  term  of  ninety-nine 
years,  if  any  of  them  should  so  long  live  (none  of  them  having  any  children),  with  a  proviso 
that  his  brothers,  who  were  then  abroad,  should,  if  they  did  not  return  within  seven  years,  be 
considered  as  dead.  Then  to  the  University  of  Cambridge,  on  condition  that  the  clear  yearly 
rents  should  be  applied  "to  the  advancement  and  reward  of  religious  learning,"  for  which 
purposes  he  founded  the  office  of"  Christian  Advocate,"  that  of"  Hulsean  Lecturer  or  Christian 
Preacher,"  a  "  Hulsean  Prize  Essay,"  and  two  Divinity  Scholarships  at  St.  John's  College.  The 
various  regulations  under  which  these  offices  can  be  held  have  been  altered  from  time  to  time, 
but  the  present  regulations  and  the  present  annual  value  of  the  various  appointments  will  be 
found  in  the  Cambridge  Calendar,  issued  each  year,  under  the  authority  of  the  University. 

Elworth  Hall  was  left  to  his  two  servants,  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Plant,  for  their  lives, 
who  resided  here  till  their  deaths  in  1826  and  1 804  respectively.'  Their  descendants  are  now 
tenants  there.  The  Hall  is  mentioned  by  Webb  in  162 1,  in  his  Itinerary  of  Nortlnuich  Hundred, 
thus  :  "  We  go  by  Eltwortli  in  which  M'  Raven  hath  a  new  fair  house."J  It  is  now  a  brick  house, 
with  gables  in  front,  but  the  back  portion  is  more  ancient,  and  is  built  of  timber  and  plaster. 

A  church,  dedicated  to  St.  Peter,  was  erected  at  Elworth  by  public  subscription  in  1846, 
being  consecrated  on  the  23rd  June  in  that  year.  The  patronage  is  in  the  gift  of  the  Rector  of 
Sandbach.  The  first  Incumbent  was  the  Rev.  William  Hayes,  instituted  14th  Aug.  184S  ;  he 
was  succeeded  on  his  resignation  by  the  Rev.  Ambrose  Jones,  instituted  19th  March,  185  i.  Mr. 
Jones  was  here  for  sixteen  years,  resigning  in  1867,  when  the  Hcv.  francis  RicJiard  Bryans, 
B.A.,  was  instituted  21st  Sept.  in  that  year.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Henry  Brandt,  B.A., 
instituted  30th  April,  1873  (on  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Bryans),  who  was  followed  by  the  Rev. 
Thotnas  Lunt,  B.A.,  instituted  1883,  the  present  Incumbent. 

'  See  p.  35. 

J  King's  Vale  Royall,  1656,  p.  78. 


94 


SANDBACH. 


SEIIjrrlacIi  ai  S^aijrclarft. 


ErfacriSagc  of  2Hl)rrtar6. 


aiaaijrrlorfe  Cotousljijp. 


THIS  Township  is  thus  described  in  the  Domesday  Survey,  ioS6  : — 


Isdem  Rannulfus  tenet  Hoiloch.  Morcar  comes 
tenuit.  Ibi  iii  bids  geldabiles.  Terra  est  mi  caru- 
catre.  In  dominio  est  una  et  mi  servi  et  ii  radmans 
cum  I  carucata.  Silva  ibi  m  leuvis  longa  et  una 
lata.  Tempore  regis  Edwardi  et  post  wasta  fuit.  Modo 
valet  XX  solidos. 


The  same  Randle  holds  Hoiloch.  Earl  Morcar 
held  it.  There  are  in  hides  rateable  to  the  gelt 
[tax].  The  land  is  mi  carucates.  One  is  de- 
mesne and  [there  are]  mi  serfs  and  ii  radmans 
with  I  carucate.  There  is  a  wood  iii  leagues  long 
and  I  broad.  In  King  Edward  [the  Confessor's] 
time  and  afterwards  it  was  waste.  It  is  now  worth 
XX  shillings. 

This  Randle  was  the  ancestor  of  the  Mainwarings  of  Warmincham,  co.  Chester,  and, 
according  to  Williamson's  Villare  Cestriense,  "  Roger  Mainwaring,  about  Henry  the  Second's 
time  [1154  to  1189]  released  to  Hugh  de  Whelock  all  his  claim  to  the  vill  of  Whclock,  which  he 
[the  said  Hugh]  held  of  Richard  de  Moston  knight  and  [also  released  him]  from  suit  of  mill 
and  court  of  Warmincham."  "  And  not  long  after  this,"  Mr.  Williamson  adds,  "  Adam  de 
Whelock  gave  to  his  brother  Hugh  all  his  right  in  this  place  and  in  1285  Thomas  de  Whelock* 
bought  the  lands  of  Randle,  son  of  Nicholas  de  Blackwood,  his  brother,  in  Blackwood,  which 
Hugh,  his  father,  had  given  to  the  said  Nicholas.  And  15  Edward  II.  [1321]  Thomas  de  Whelok, 
and  Julian  his  wife,  obtained  from  Ralph  de  Hassale,  chaplain,  the  manor  of  Whelok  for  life, 

*  Thomas  de  Whelok  occurs  as  a  witness  in  the  Shakerley  deeds  in  1308. 


WHEELOCK  TOWNSHIP.  95 


[with]  remainder  to  Thomas  his  son  and  Alice  his  wife  and  their  heirs  for  ever."  This  last  deed 
is  enrolled  on  the  Cheshire  Plea  Rolls,  and  in  the  Chesliire  Recognizance  Rolls  are  several 
references  to  this  Thomas  de  Whelock  or  his  father  of  the  same  name.  Thus,  in  1309,  he  occurs 
with  others  as  a  lessee  of  the  town  of  Middlewich,  and  in  the  next  year  he  and  John  do  Coton, 
Richard  de  Morton,  and  Adam  de  Bostok,  who  were  the  purveyors  of  the  King,  Edward  II.,  for 
the  Hundred  of  Northwich,  enter  into  a  recognizance  in  lOOs.  to  bring  to  Chester,  before  a 
certain  day,  all  the  corn  and  "  bacon  "  charged  upon  the  said  Hundred,  or  to  pay  4s.  for  every 
"bacon."  He  also  occurs  on  the  same  Rolls  in  13 16.''  The  "  manor  of  Qwelok,"  or  Whelock, 
is  mentioned  in  1337,*^  and  in  1366  there  is  a  reference  to  Thomas  de  Whelock,  senior.  In 
1382,  Thomas,  son  of  Thomas  de  Whelok,  occurs,'^  and  in  1387  Thomas  de  Whelok,  of  Whelok, 
had  an  exemption  from  serving  on  juries,  probably  on  account  of  services  abroad,  for  in  that 
year  protection  of  his  lands  was  assured  to  him  on  his  going  to  Ireland  in  the  train  of  Robert 
de  Vere,  Duke  of  Ireland.'^ 

In  the  17th  Richard  II.  [1393-4],  Thomas,  son  of  Thomas  de  Wheelock,  made  a  grant  of  lands 
in  Hulme  Walfield.  John  de  Wheelock  was  living  in  1405,  and  on  the  13th  April,  1415,  a  writ 
was  issued  to  inquire  of  what  lands  John  de  Wheelock  (who  was  the  son  and  successor  of  Thomas 
de  Wheelock)  had  died  seised,  but  the  return  to  this  is  not  now  extant.  According  to  Mr. 
Williamson,  in  1406,  when  John  de  Wheelock  must  have  been  already  dead,  "  William  Venables 
of  Kinderton  brought  two  writs  against  Adam,  son  of  Adam  de  Bostock,  and  others  for  taking 
away  the  body  of  Richard,  son  of  John,  son  of  Thomas  de  Wheelock  and  the  custody  of  16 
messuages  &c  which  John  held  of  him  by  knight's  service,  viz  homage  and  los  a  year  and  the 
jury  found  for  William  Venables."  This  Richard  de  Wheelock,  on  the  loth  June,  1422,  entered 
into  a  recognizance,  together  with  William  de  Venables,  of  Kinderton,  and  others,  in  the  sum  of 
10  marks,  as  a  fine  for  his  having  married  Eleanor,  the  widow  of  Sir  Richard  de  Vernon,  Knt., 
without  the  King's  licence.  In  1430  he  was  appointed  a  collector  of  a  subsidy  in  Northwich 
Hundred,  and  on  the  nth  June,  1432,  a  warrant  was  issued  to  John  Savage,  constable  of  the  Castle 
of  Halton,  to  receive  him  and  George  de  Wevere  into  custody.  He  also  occurs  on  other 
Recognizance  Rolls  in  1432  and  1434.  He  died  on  the  27th  December,  1438,  and  was  buried  at 
Sandbach.  His  tombstone  in  "the  middle  of  the  quire"  was  existing  in  1596,  when  it  had 
on  it,  in  brass,  a  coat  of  arms,  Wheelock  impaling  Vernon,  and  a  long  Latin  inscription 
(see  p.   30),  of  which  the  following  is  a  translation  : — 

Here  lie  [the  bodies  of]  Richard  Qweloc  Esquire,  who  died  the  27  December  in  the  year  of  our  lord, 
1439  \_sic  for  1438]'=  and  the  lady  Eleanor  Vernon  his  wife  who  died  in  the  year  of  our  lord  1400  \sic  for 
1474]''  and  Thomas  Qweloc  son  of  the  said  Richard  and  Eleanor,  who  died  the  last  day  of  the  month  of  ...  . 
....  in  the  year  of  our  lord  1439,  on  whose  souls  may  God  be  merciful. 

Then  follow  the  six  lines  of  Latin  verse  printed  on  p.  30.  The  following  Inquisition  post 
vwrtini  was  taken  after  his  death : — 

*>  On  the  Cheshire  Plea  Rolls,  13  Edward  II.  [1319-20],  there  is  the  record  that  Amicia,  the  widow  of  Randle  de  Queloc 
(as  Whelock  was  then  frequently  written),  sued  Richard  de  Pecton  for  dower  of  one  messuage,  thirty  acres  of  land,  one  acre 
of  meadow,  and  one  acre  of  mour  in  Queloc,  near  Sondbache. 

'  Plea  Rolls.  Quitclaim  by  William,  son  of  Ralph  de  Moston,  in  favour  of  William  Thorp  and  his  heirs,  of  all  his  title 
to  the  manor  of  Moston,  together  with  the  demesne  rents  and  services  of  the  manor  of  Qwelok. 

''   Cheshire  Recognizance  Rolls. 

"  I  have  a  deed  dated  in  September,  i8th  Henry  VI  [1439!,  by  which  Eleanor,  the  widow  of  Richard  de  Wheelock,  grants 
certain  lands,  &c.  in  Haslingdon,  co.  Chester,  to  Robert  de  FuUeshurst,  of  Crue,  and  Joan,  his  wife,  daughter  of  tne  said 
Eleanor.     This  shows  that  Richard  de  Wheelock  must  have  died  in  December,  1438,  not  1439. 

'  It  is  probable  that  the  date  was  simply  14  .  .,  the  tomb  being  made  before  Eleanor's  death  and  the  exact  year  of  her 
decease  never  having  been  filled  in. 


96  SANDBACH. 


Inquisition  taken  in  S'  Marys  Church,  Chester,  before  John  de  Legh,  escheator,  the  Wednesday  next 
after  the  feast  of  S'  Hilary  [13th  Jan.]  17  Henry  VI  [1439]  by  the  oath  of  Hugh  de  Sondebache,  John  de 
^Vevere,  Warine  del  Shawe,  John  de  Littleovere,  Thomas  de  Mulynton,  Hugh  de  Redich,  William  de 
Halghton,  Thomas  Godeman,  Ralph  Dod  of  Broxon,  Stephen  Dod  of  Egge  [Edge],  Robert  Snelleston  and 
John  Mascy  of  Aldresey,  who  say  that  Richard  de  Whelok  did  not  hold' any  lands  of  the  king  or  of  any 
one  else  in  demesne,  nor  by  knight's  service,  and  that  he  died  on  the  Sunday  in  the  feast  of  the  Holy 
Innocents  [2Sth  Dec]  last  past  [143S],  and  that  Alice  de  Whelok,  and  Agnes,  formerly  wife  of  Richard 
Lyversegge,  are  the  next  of  kin  and  next  heirs,  namely  the  said  Alice,  sister  of  John,  father  of  the  said 
Richard,  and  Agnes,  daughter  of  Elizabeth,  sister  of  the  said  John,  and  that  Alice  is  50  years  of  age  and 
Agnes  40. 

Eleanor,  wife  of  Richard  de  \\'hcclock,  who  sur\'ivcd  him  for  man)'  years,  occurs  on  the 
Recognizance  Rolls  in  1439,  as  giving  security  for  the  marriage  of  her  daughter,  Joan  de  Vernon, 
to  Robert,  son  and  heir  of  Thomas  Fouleshurst,  of  Crewe."  She  died  in  1474,  when  the 
following  Inquisition /oi'/  mortem  was  taken  : — 

Inquisition  taken  at  Halton,  before  Thomas  Wolton,  Escheator,  the  Wednesday  in  Easter  week, 
14  Edward  IV  [1474]  by  the  oath  of  George  Bolde,  Randle  Grymsdich,  Thomas  Tochet,  John  Hatton, 
Peter  Hatton,  Peter  Grymsdich,  Laurence  Borowes,  Thomas  Starky,  Henry  Brownwynt  (?),  John  Botiller, 
John  Higson  and  Thomas  Colstonsok,  who  say  that  Eleanor,  who  was  the  wife  of  Richard  Whelok,  died 
seised  holding  in  dower  for  the  term  of  her  life,  14  messuages,  160  acres  of  land  &c  and  the  third  part 
of  the  one  sixth  part  of  the  Barony  of  Wich  Malbanc  [Nantwich],  in  Mynshull  Vernon,  Cole  and  Wich 
Malbanc,  held  of  the  Prince  as  Earl  of  Chester,  worth  per  annum  8  marks,  with  reversion  to  Sir  John 
Savage  knight  and  his  heirs  male.  Also  she  died  seised  for  her  life  of  20  messuages,  i  water  mill,  500 
acres  of  land,  40  acres  of  meadow  and  12  acres  of  wood  in  Whelok,  held  of  Sir  William  Trussell  Knt  by 
knight's  service  and  worth  per  annum  20  marks,  with  remainder  after  her  death  to  Reginald  Leversiche  and 
his  heirs.  Also  she  died  seised  for  the  term  of  her  life,  of  6  messuages,  40  acres  of  land,  6  acres  of 
meadow  and  3  acres  of  wood  in  Alcomlowe  and  Hulme  Walfeld,  held  of  Hugh  Eggerton  by  knight's 
service  and  worth  6  marks  per  annum,  with  remainder  to  the  said  Reginald.  Also  she  died  seised  for  the 
term  of  her  life,  of  10  messuages  and  400  acres  of  land,  10  acres  of  meadow  and  10  acres  of  wood, 
in  Haslynton,  held  of  the  Prince  and  worth  iS  marks,  with  remainder  to  Ralph  'N'ernon.  The  said 
Eleanor  died  the  Tuesday  next  before  Palm  Sunday  last  and  her  next  heir  is  Joan  [de  Vernon],  the  wife 
of  Robert  Fouleshurst,  aged  40  years  and  more. 

As  already  shown  in  the  Inquisition  post  mortem  of  Richard  de  Wheelock,  he  died  without 
issue  in  1438,  and  his  next  heirs  were  his  aunt,  Alice  Wheelock,  and  his  first  cousin,  Agnes,  then 
the  widow  of  Richard  Leversage.  The  accompanj-ing  pedigree  traces  the  Wheelock  family  as 
well  as  the  absence  of  original  deeds  will  permit.'' 

Of  the  Leversages,  prior  to  their  coming  to  Wheelock,  little  is  known.  On  the  2Sth  Oct. 
1408,  John  Savage,  Esq.,  and  Richard  Leversage  had  a  lease  of  the  mills  of  Macclesfield  for 
twenty  j-ears,  and  in  14 19  and  1427  the  latter  occurs  in  connection  with  the  Worths  of 
Titherington,  as  having   the  wardship  of  John  de   Worth,  brother  and  heir  of  Thomas,  son  of 

*•'  On  1st  May,  14S1,  Sir  Robert  Fouleshurst  and  Dame  Joan,  his  wife,  make  affidavit  that  the  will  of  Richard  Whelok 
was,  that  the  said  Dame  Joan  should  have  lands,  cVc.,  to  the  yearly  value  of  40s.,  to  her,  and  the  heirs  of  her  body  lawfully 
begotten,  with  remainder  to  the  right  heirs  of  Whelok,  and  they  agree  to  abide  the  award  of  Ralph  Vernon,  Thomas  Huls, 
Andrew  Brereton,  and  Thomas  Smethwik,  in  a  traverse  of  the  said  will  by  Reynald  Lyversegge. — Cheshire  Recognizance  Rolls. 

^  Families  of  the  name  of  Wheelock,  probably  descended  from  younger  .sons  of  the  Wheelocks  of  Wheelock,  continued 
to  reside  in  this  neighbourhood,  and  are  met  with  in  the  parish  Registers  and  in  local  deeds,  wills,  &c.  Hugh  Wheelock  and 
Richard  Wheelock  were  living  in  I(J04,  and  the  will  of  Hugh  Wheelock,  of  Wheelock,  proved  163S,  the  inventory  of  Rich.ard 
Wheelock,  of  Barthomley,  taken  162S,  and  the  will  of  William  Wheelock,  of  Winterley,  proved  1631,  are  still  preserved 
at  Chester.     Several  later  Wheelock  wills  are  also  to  be  found  at  Chester. 


WHEELOCK  TOWNSHIP. 


97 


5.2:H)fflorH  of  2;5ai)crlorlt. 


Anns:  Argent,  a  chevron  be- 
tween three  Catherine  wheels 
Sable. 


Hugh  de  Whelok.  =^ 
Living  leinp.  Henry  II, 


William  de  Whelok. 


HUCH  DE  = 

Whelok. 


Adam  de 
Whelok. 


Authorities:  A  good  pedigree  in 
Harleian  MS.  2,153,  f.  34, 
apparently  based  on  deeds. 
Cheshire  Plea  and  Recog- 
nizance Rolls ;  Williamson's 
MS.  Villare  Cestriense,  &c. 


Alice  de 
W'helok. 


Thomas  de  Whelok, 

Living  13  Edward  \, 

[12S5]. 


Nicholas,  "  to  whom  his  father 

gave  lands  in  Blackwood, 

in  Wheelock,  whence  called 

Nicholas  de  Blackwood.  " 


Thomas  de  Whelok. 

Died  16  Edward  H. 

[1332-3]. 


Julian,  dau.  of 

Living  15  Edw.  H. 
[■322]- 


T 


Randle  de  Blackwood. 

"  Sould  his  lands  to 

Thomas  his  uncle, 

vide  deeds." 


Thomas  de  Whelok. 
Living  1322. 


:  Alice,  dau.  of 

Living  15  Edw.  H.  [1322], 
and  8  Edw.  HL  [1334]. 


Thomas  de  Whelok.    '■ 
Living 44  Edw.  HL  [1370]. 


Richard  de  Whelok. 

Had  lands  in  Tranmere, 

CO.  Chester, 


Thomas  de  Whelok.      =f= 
Living  7  Rich.  n.[i383],  and 
15  Rich,  n,  [1391]  and  1393, 


John  de  Whelock.       = 
Living  19  Rich.  H.  [1395-6]. 
Died  in  1406. 


Alice,  dau.  of 


Living  a  widow 
in  1406. 


Alice  de  Whelock. 

Living  unmarr.  and 

aged  50  in  1439, 


I 
Elizabeth  de      = 

Whelock. 

Living  1391, 

and  then  married. 


Thomas  de  Worth. 

of  Titherington, 

CO.  Chester. 

Living  1391 

(Rode  deeds). 


I 

Richard  de  Whelock. 

Living  1406  under  age. 

Married  in  or  before 

1422. 

Died  27  Dec.  143S. 

Iiiy.  P.M.  1439. 

Tombstone  formerly  in 

Sandbach  Church. 


T=  Eleanor,  dau.  of  Sir 

Hugh  de  Hulse,  Knt. , 

and  widow  of  Sir 

Richard  de  Vernon,  Knt. 

Survived  her  husband. 

Living  a  widow,  1439. 

lug.  P.M.  14  Edw.  IV., 

1474. 


Agnes  de  Worth.    =^  Richard  Leversage 
Aged  40  in  1439. 


A 

Leversage 
of  Wheelock. 


of  Macclesfield. 
Dead  in  1439. 


Thomas  de  Whelock. 
Died  s.p.  in  1439. 


98  SANDBACH. 


Thomas  de  Worth,  of  Titherington.'  This  Thomas  Worth,  the  father,  had  married  Eh'zabeth, 
daughter  of  Thomas,  and  sister  of  John  de  Wheelock,  and,  according  to  the  pedigree  in  Harl. 
MS.  2,153,  Richard  de  Leversage  married  his  son,  Richard,  to  Agnes,  the  daughter  of  Thomas 
de  Worth  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife.  This  Richard,  the  son,  was  dead  in  1438  {sec  the  Inquisition 
post  mortem  of  Richard  Wheelock),  leaving  a  son  and  heir,  Reginald  Leversage,  who,  as 
already  shown,  was  the  next  heir  to  Eleanor  Wheelock,  as  far  as  regards  the  Wheelock  estates 
in  1474. 

This  Reginald  Leversage,  the  first  of  Wheelock,  by  an  indenture  dated  the  2nd  Oct. 
34  Henry  VI.,  1455,  made  between  him  and  Thomas  Longley  or  Langley,  of  Agecroft,  co.  Lane, 
Esq.,  agreed  to  marry  Douce,  the  sister  of  the  said  Thomas  Langley.  He  was  appointed  a 
collector  of  a  subsid)- in  Northwich  Hundred  in  1489.  He  made  his  will  on  the  nth  Sept. 
1497,  in  which  he  desires  that  the  souls  of  Douce,  his  wife,  and  John,  his  son,  should  be  prayed 
for,  requests  his  then  wife  to  be  content  with  her  third  part,  and  appoints  Thomas  Leversage, 
his  son  and  heir,  and  Roger  Leversage,  chaplain,  another  son,  to  be  his  executors.  His  son  and 
heir,  Thomas  Leversage,  of  Wheelock,  gent,  married  Isabel,  daughter  of  Thomas  Venables, 
of  Kinderton,  Esq.  He  occurs  as  a  collector  of  a  subsidy  in  Northwich  Hundred  in  1503.  He 
died  29th  March,  1538,  and  in  his  \nc^\?A\\ox\  post  morteiii  it  was  returned  that  he  was  seised 
of  the  manor  of  Wheelock,  300  acres  of  land,  40  acres  of  meadow,  100  acres  of  pasture,  20 
acres  of  wood  and  bruery,  and  a  water-mill  there,  20  acres  of  land  in  Kynderton  and  Bradwall, 
a  messuage  and  20  acres  of  land  in  Haslyngton,  10  acres  of  land  in  Hulme  by  Bradwall,  called 
Moresbarowc,  10  acres  of  wood  in  Parme,  and  other  messuages  and  lands  in  Odd  Rode,  Mickell 
Moulton,  Congleton,  Buglawton,  Hulme  Walfcld,  Hassall,  &c.,  and  certain  other  messuages, 
lands,  &c.,  in  Wheelock,  Bechton,  Newbold,  &c.,  which  he  had  settled  in  trust  on  the  marriage  of 
his  son  and  heir,  Ralph  Leversage,  with  Margery,  daughter  of  William  Wilbraham,  of  VVoodhey, 
Esq.  The  manor  of  Wheelock  was  held  of  Sir  William  Venables,  Knt.,  as  part  of  the  manor  of 
Moston,  by  knight's  service,  and  the  yearly  rent  of  los.,  being  worth  ^^^13.  6s.  8d.  per  annum. 

R.\Lrn  Leversage,  who,  at  the  date  of  his  father's  Inquisition,  was  fift}--six  years  of  age, 
was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Ralph  Davenport,  of  Davenport, 
Esq.,  the  marriage  settlement  being  dated  1st  Sept.  1499,  by  whom  he  appears  to  have  had  no 
issue  ;  and,  secondly,  c.  1532,  as  above  described,  to  Margery,  daughter  of  William  Wilbraham, 
of  Woodhey,  Esq.,  by  whom  he  had  issue,  and  who  survived  him,  being  buried  at  Sandbach  on 
the  19th  July,  1564.  He  died  23rd  July,  1551,  and  in  the  Inquisition,  taken  after  his  death,  several 
indentures  of  settlement  and  his  will,  dated  24th  Nov.  1547,  are  referred  to.  He  died  seised  of 
the  manor  house  or  capital  messuage  of  Wheelock,  held  of  Sir  Thomas  Venables,  knt.,  as  part 
of  the  manor  of  Moston,  as  before,  and  lands  and  messuages  there  and  in  Haslyngton,  Hassall, 
Hulme,  Moresbarrow,  Buglawton,  &c.  WILLIAM  LEVERSAGE,  his  son  and  heir,  was  then 
eighteen  }-ears  of  age,  and  was  already,  in  or  before  1547,  married  to  Katherine,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Davenport,  of  Henbury,  Esq.  He  occurs  several  times  on  the  Cheshire  Recognizance 
Rolls,  1577  to  1589,  and  on  the  25  th  Nov.  15  S3,  was  appointed  High  Sheriff  of  Cheshire.  He  was 
buried  at  Sandbach,  2Sth  April,  1613,  being  then  nearly  eighty  years  of  age.  No  Inquisition 
appears  to  have  been  taken  after  his  death,  but  his  will  is  still  preserved  at  Chester.  In  it  he 
described  himself  as  "  William  Leversage,  of  Whelocke,  co.  Chester,  esquire,"  and  desired  to  be 
buried  "  in  the  North  He  of  the  parishe  churche  of  Sandbach,  the  place  accustomed  for  the 


Clieshire  Recognizance  Rolls. 


WHEELOCK   TOWNSHIP.  99 


buriall  of  my  ancestors."  He  gave  20  shillings  "  to  be  bestowed  in  bookes  to  the  use  of  the 
said  church,"  and  he  leaves  £s  to  the  poor  of  the  parish  of  Sandbach,  to  be  distributed  at  the 
discretion  of"  M'  Vicker"  and  others.  He  mentions  his  only  sons,  William  and  Hugh,  and  his 
daughter,  Margery,  the  wife  of  Ralph  Hassall. 

William  Levers.\GE,  of  Wheelock,  Esq.,  his  son  and  heir,  who  succeeded  his  father  in 
1613,  was  then  fifty  years  of  age,  having  been  baptised  at  Sandbach,  27th  April,  1563.  He 
married,  c.  1589,  Eleanor,  daughter  of  Robert  Sheffield,  of  Epworth,  co.  Lincoln,  by  whom 
he  had  a  large  family,  ten  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  some  died  young.  In  1620  he 
lost  his  son  and  heir  apparent,  Thomas  Lcversage,  who  was  buried  at  Sandbach  on  the  22nd  Jul}- 
in  that  year.  His  Inquisition  post  mortem  was  taken  9th  Oct.  1620,  when  it  was  returned  that 
he  held  certain  tithes  in  Wheelock,  &c.,  and  that  William,  his  son  and  heir,  was  then  seven 
years  of  age.  William  Leversage,  Esq.,  on  loth  Jan.  1623-4,  purchased  the  manor  of 
Hassall,  from  Ralph  Hassall,  of  Hassall,  Esq.,  his  nephew.  He  died  30th  March,  1638,  an-ed 
about  seventy-five,  and  was  buried  at  Sandbach  on  the  following  day.  His  Funeral  Certificate, 
taken  at  Wheelock  on  the  30th  April,  1638,  by  "  Randle  Holme,  of  the  city  of  Chester,  alderman, 
and  Deputy  to  the  Office  of  Armes,"  and  "  testified  under  the  hand  of  Peter  Venables,  Esq., 
Baron  of  Kinderton,  one  of  the  executors  to  the  defunct,"  has  been  printed  by  the  Record 
Society  (vol.  vi.  p.  131).  It  is  an  interesting  specimen  of  that  class  of  document,  and  is  as 
follows  :J  — 

The  Worshipful!  William  Leuersage  of  Wheleloock,  in  the  county  of  Chester,  Esquier,  Departed  this 
mortall  life  at  his  house  of  Whelelock  aforesaid  upon  the  28"''^  day  of  March  1638,  and  was  interred  in 
Sanbach  Church,  in  the  county  aforesaid.  The  said  defunct  maryed  Elyoner,  Da''  to  Robert  Sheffeild 
of  Reapworth,  in  the  county  of  Lincolne,  by  whom  he  had  yssue  Thomas  Leuersage,  his  sonne  and  heire, 

who  died  in  his  fathers  life  tyme,  having  maried  Dorothy,  Da.  and  heire  to Massy  of  Winkleswick 

[Whicleswick]  in  the  [parish  of  Eccles  and]  county  of  Lancaster,  by  whom  he  had  yssue,  who  was 
Disinherited  for  marying  without  his  Grandfathers  consent,  Randle  2''  sonne,  and  Frances,  a  Da'',  William 

Leuersage,  2''  sonne  to  the  defunct,  on  whom  his  father  estated  the  land,  he  maried ,  Da''  to 

,  and  hath ;  William[s]  Leuersage,  t^^  sonne  to  the  defunct ;  Sauage,  4"'  sonne 

to  the  defunct ;  Robert,  5"'  sonne  to  the  defunct  ;  Edward,  6"'  sonne  to  the  defunct ;  Richard,  7"'  sonne 
to  the  defunct ;  all  vnmaried.  Elyoner,  eldest  Da''  to  the  defunct,  mar''  John  Weild  [Weld]  of  Astbur}-, 
in  the  County  of  Chester,  Gent,  and  hath  yssue  ;  Ciceley,  2'^  Da'  to  the  defunct,  mar''  John  Ouldfeild 
of  Bradwall,  in  the  County  aforesaid,  by  whom  she  hath  yssue  dyuers  children.  Duglas,  youngest  Da''  to 
the  defunct,  vnmaried. 

His  Inquisition /'(7J'/'  moi-tein,  taken  8th  Jan.  1638-9,  is  a  long  document,  reciting  a  deed  of 
settlement,  made  31st  Sept.  1631,  and  the  fine  levied  at  Chester,  9th  April,  1632,  as  well  as  his 
will,  dated  29th  March,  163S,  the  day  before  his  death,  in  which  he  exercised  certain  powers 
left  to  him  in  the  said  settlement  and  revoked  the  same.  He  died  seised  of  the  manors  of 
Wheelock  and  Hassall,  co.  Chester,  and  messuages  and  lands  in  Hassall,  Haslington,  Bechton, 
Bradwall,  Sandbach,  Odd  Rode,  Buglawton,  Newbold  Astbury,  Alcomclow,  Church  Lawton, 
CO.  Chester,  and  in  Touston  [?  Tunstall],  co.  Stafford. 

His  will,  dated  29th  March,  1638,  is  a  document  of  much  interest,  as  in  it  he,  on  his 
death-bed,  disinherited   his  grandson  and  heir  apparent,  William   Leversage,  then  twenty-four 

This  is  copied  from  a  document  in  the  Public  Record  Office  {Domestic  State  Papers,  1647,  No.  324).  A  few 
corrections,  &c. ,  are  added  in  square  brackets. 

I"  It  is  curious  that  the  date  of  Mr.  Leversage's  death  should  be  wrongly  given,  but  he  did  not  die  till  the  30ih  March,  as 
stated  in  his  Inquisition /i?^/  mortem.     His  will  is  dated  29th  March. 

O    2 


SANDBACH. 


years  of  age,  on  account,  as  stated  in  the  Funeral  Certificate,  of  the  latter  having  married 
without  his  consent,  and  also  disinherited  Randle  Leversage,  brother  of  the  said  William. 
He  describes  himself  as  "  being  growne  unto  great  age  and  infirmity,"  and  desires  his  body 
"to  be  decently  buried  in  mine  He  in  Sandbach  Church  without  any  pompous  expense  or 
show."     He  then  continues  : — 

"Whereas  by  an  Indenture  dated  13  Sept.  7  Charles  [1631]  made  between  me,  the  said  William 
l.eversage,  upon  the  one  part,  and  Sir  Richard  Wilbraham,  of  Woodhey,  Knight  and  Baronet,  Sir  Thomas 
Delves,  of  Dodington,  Knight  and  Baronet,  Peter  Venables,  of  Kinderton,  Esq.  Thomas  Wilbraham,  then 
of  Burton,  sonne  and  heyre  apparent  of  the  said  Sir  Richard  Wilbraham,  Henry  Delves,  of  Doddington 
Sonne  and  heyre  apparent  of  the  said  S''  Thomas  Delves,  all  of  them  within  the  County  of  Chester, 
Randle  Ashenhurst,  of  Ashenhurst,  co.  Stafford,  Esq.  and  Ralph  Hassall,  of  Whelock  aforesaid,  Esq.  upon 
the  other  part,  and  by  a  fine  thereupon  levied  and  executed,  and  by  covenants  in  the  said  Indenture 
contained,  I  the  said  William  Leversage  did  convey  and  assure  to  the  said  Sir  Richard  Wilbraham  &c. 
the  manors  of  Whelock  and  Hassall  co.  Chester,  and  all  the  messuages,  lands  &c.  thereto  belonging  in 
Whelock  and  Hassall,  and  in  Haslington,  Bechton,  Bradwall,  Sandbach,  Smalwood,  Rode  alias  Odd 
Rode,  Congleton,  Buglawton,  Newbold  Astbury,  and  Lawton  alias  Church  Lawton  co.  Chester,  and 
also  lands,  tenements  &c.  in  Touston  co.  Stafford,  to  be  held  by  them  for  the  purposes  in  that  indenture 
duly  declared  and  set  out.  And  whereas  there  is  a  provision  for  me  to  grant  leases  for  21  years  or  for 
lives,  in  order  to  discharge  any  my  debts  &c.  and  with  power  to  cancel  the  same  Indenture  on  payment 
of  1 2  pence  to  the  said  Sir  Richard  Wilbraham  &c.  or  to  alter  the  said  uses  and  limitations  by  any  my 
will  or  deed  duly  executed,  except  joynture  land,  and  certain  joyntures  and  annuities.  Now  I  the  said 
William  Leversage  having  paid  unto  the  said  Ralph  Hassall  i2d.  in  the  presence  of  John  Yardley,  John 
Oldfield,  and  Richard  Steele,  do  by  this  my  will  utterly  revoke  and  discharge  all  and  every  the  use  and 
uses,  estate  and  estates  &c.  limited,  declared  &c.  to  or  for  the  use  of  A\"illiam  Leversage,  son  of  Thomas 
Leversage,  in  the  said  Indenture  named,  and  also  all  the  uses,  estates  &c.  limited  and  appointed  to 
Randall  Leversage,  son  of  the  said  Thomas  Leversage,  in  the  said  Indenture  named,  and  make  utterly 
void  the  same." 

There  are  a  few  legacies,  one  of  which  is  to  "  my  loving  nephew  the  said  Ralph  Hassall," 
who  was  "to  have  the  chamber  [at  Wheelock  Hall]  wherein  he  now  usually  lyeth,  for  his  life 
and  I  give  him  my  best  horse  and  ;£^I0  to  buy  him  a  ringe  and  the  choice  of  all  m)-  English 
books  to  take  so  rnany  as  he  pleaseth."  "  To  my  loving  cosen,  the  said  Randle  Ashenhurst, 
/,  10  to  buy  him  a  ring,"  and  "to  the  churchwardens  of  the  parish  of  Sandbach  iTio  as  a  stock 
to  be  employed  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  people  of  the  said  parish."  "  And  I  desire  that  so 
much  of  the  ffurniture  of  the  best  chamber  at  Whelock,  as  my  late  wife  made  with  her  owne 
hands,  may  according  to  her  desire,  be  and  remain  to  my  daughter  Douglas  Leversage."  He 
appointed  Peter  Venables,  Esq.,  Baron  of  Kinderton,  Randle  Rode,  Esq.,  and  the  said  Ralph 
Hassall,  his  executors.  One  of  the  witnesses  was  Thomas  Broome.  This  will  was  proved 
at  Chester,  on  the  i8th  July,  1638,  by  Peter  Venables  and  Ralph  Hassall,  two  of  the  executors. 

Owing  to  his  two  grandsons  having  been  thus  disinherited,  William  Leversage,  Esq.,  was 
succeeded  in  1638  by  his  second  and  then  eldest  sur\-iving  son,  WiLLl.VM  LEVERSAGE,  Esq.,  who, 
in  1664,  was  seventy-two  years  of  age,  and  who  is  described  as  then  of  Bctchton.  He  married 
Audrey,  daughter  of  Richard  Nelham,  of  Ickenham,  co.  Middlesex,  by  whom  he  had  two 
daughters,  Frances  and  Audrey.  During  the  Civil  War  he  espoused  the  Royalist  side,  and,  in 
consequence,  his  estate  was  sequestered,  and  he  was  fined  in  the  sum  of  ^260.  The  following 
is  the  narrative  of  his  "  Delinquency,"  an  interesting  document : — 


WHEELOCK   TOWNSHIP. 


William  Leversage,  the  elder,  of  Wheelock,  in  the  county  of  Chester  Esq. 

His  Delinquency,  that  in  December  1643  he  deserted  his  owne  howse  and  went  to  Kinderton  Hall, 
which  was  then  held  against  the  Parliament,  associated  with  them  for  the  space  of  a  month  or  thereabouts 
and  sent  for  divers  of  his  goods  and  Cattle  thether,  which  were  secured  at  the  said  Hall,  and  after  the 
seidge  raised  at  Nantwich,  he  sent  one  Ashmold,'  who  was  a  Comander  in  the  said  howse  and  the  said 
Ashmold  went  to  Chester  unto  M'^  Grosvenor,  then  high  Sheriffe  of  the  said  County,  or  to  M''  Thomas 
Cholmly  [Cholmondeley]  (who  were  both  active  enemies  to  the  State),  to  make  his  Composition  with  them 
and  to  that  end  M"  Leversage,  his  wife,  went  to  procure  what  moneys  shee  could,  and  that  upon  report  of 
the  Parliaments  army  comeing  towards  the  said  Hall,  he  chardged  and  directed  some  of  the  souldiers  (who 
were  keepinge  that  Garrison),  where  and  howe  to  shoote  against  them,  if  they  fired  first  at  them  in  the 
howse. 

That  he  hath  taken  the  Nationall  Couenant  before  Daniell  Cawdrey,  minister  of  S'  Martins  in  the 
feilds  and  one  of  the  Assembly  of  Divines,  the  24"'  of  October  1645  &  petioned  heere  &  tooke  the  Negative 
oath  the  24"'  of  October  1645. 

Yearly  value  of  his  estate  160''.  There  are  these  charges  on  it,  to  Douglas  Leversage,  sister  to  the 
Compounder,  100  marks  per  ann.,  to  Wiltms  Leversage,  his  brother,  15",  to  Savage  Leversage,  his 
brother,  10'',  to  Edward  Leversage,  10". 

He  owed  i-i6o''  to  M''  Raph  Hassall,  and  600''  was  owing  by  his  father  then  dead. 

16  Maii  1646.         Fine  260".  [_;^26o]. 

William  Leversage  died  on  the  7th  July,  and  was  buried  at  Sandbach  on  the  I  ith  July,  1668. 
He  left  two  daughters,  y^Jw^/riry,  married  to  John  Broughton,of  Broughton.co.  Flint,  and  Frances 
then  unmarried.  His  next  brother,  Williams  Leversage,  who  was  baptised  at  Sandbach  on 
5th  June,  1598,""  married  Anne,  daughter  of  Thomas  Dean,  of  Warmincham,  co.  Chester,  by 
whom  he  had  two  daughters.  His  father,  in  his  will,  dated  1638,  after  giving  him  an  annuity  of 
£\0  a  year,  thus  speaks  of  him  :  "And  because  my  said  son  Williams  hath  received  a  hurt  in 
his  hand  and  thereby  is  disabled  to  get  his  living  as  well  as  the  rest  of  his  brethren  now  I  do 
augment  the  said  annuity  ;^5."  He  appears  to  have  lived  at  Kinderton,  and  died  in  1653,  and 
was  buried  at  Sandbach  on  the  17th  June  in  that  year.  His  will,  dated  19th  May,  was  proved 
27th  Sept.  1653,  in  the  Prerogative  Court  of  Canterbury,  and  is  now  at  Somerset  House, 
London.  He  describes  himself  as  of  "  Kinderton,  co.  Chester,  gentleman,"  mentions  his 
brother  Edward,  his  wife  Ann,  his  daughters  Eleanor  and  Audrey,  to  each  of  whom  he  leaves 
;^i5o;  his  sister  Douglas  Carington  and  her  issue,  his  kinsman  William  Weld,  of  Newbold 
Astbury,  gentleman,  and  his  brother-in-law,  John  Deane,  of  the  parish  of  Warmincham, 
yeoman.     (See  the  pedigree  of  this  family  on  the  next  two  pages.) 

As  William  Leversage  (the  disinherited  grandson)  had  no  issue,  and  his  only  brother 
Randlc  had  died  unmarried,  and  as  both  William  Leversage,  of  Wheelock,  Esq.,  and  his 
brother  Williams   Leversage,  of  Kinderton,  had  female   issue  only,"  it  is  not   surprising  that 

'  This  is  most  probably  the  celeljrated  EUas  Ashmole,  afterwards  Garter  King  of  Arms,  &c. 

'"  In  the  Register,  the  entry  is  in  Latin,  "  Willyamus"  vi\\\(^  is  meant  for  "Williams,"  the  name  he  was  known  by. 
This  explains  what  has  hitherto  appeared  somewhat  of  an  anom.aly  in  the  printed  pedigrees,  in  there  being  two  brothers,  both 
named  William.  His  father  seems  to  have  got  together  as  many  Williams  among  his  friends  as  he  could  to  stand  as  godfathers 
to  this  child,  the  following  being  the  entry  in  the  Register  (translated) : — "1598  Williams  Leversage  son  of  William  Leversage 
gentleman  was  baptised  the  fifth  day  of  June,  William  Leversage,  William  Biilkeley  Esquires,  William  Vardley,  William 
Lawton,  William  Moreton,  William  Smethwicke,  William  Allen,  William  Hassall  and  William  Llandyn  and  Elizabeth 
Delves  wife  of  ...   .   Delves  being  the  godparents  and  sponsors  of  the  said  child  "  [sec  p.  57). 

"  The  Leversages  continued  to  be  represented  in  the  parish  and  the  neighbourhood  by  persons  bearing  that  name, 
probably  descended  from  younger  sons  of  the  old  manorial  family.  To  these  persons  there  are  references  in  the  parish  registers, 
monumental  inscriptions  in  the  churchyard,  and  wills  now  preserved  in  the  Probate  Court,  Chester. 


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104  SANDBACH. 


attempts  should  have  been  made  to  sell  the  manor  of  Wheelock.  Accordingly  in  1647 
certain  "  articles  of  agreement,"  dated  the  30th  April  in  that  year,  were  drawn  up  between 
"  William  Leversage,  the  cider,  of  Wheelock,  Esq.,  upon  the  first  part,  and  Thomas  Moulson, 
of  London,  Esquire,  upon  the  second  part."  By  this  deed,  William  Leversage,  the  elder,  agreed 
to  convey  and  assure  to  the  said  Thomas  Moulson  and  his  heirs  all  his  right,  title,  &c.,  to  or 
in  the  manor  or  lordship  of  Wheelock  and  the  capital  messuage  called  the  Hall  of  Wheelock, 
and  all  the  houses,  lands,"  tenements,  &c.,  to  the  said  manor  and  capital  messuage  belonging 
in  Wheelock,  Hassall,  Haslington,  and  Sandbach,  and  also  all  the  messuages,  lands,  &c.,  of 
the  said  William  Leversage,  the  elder,  in  Wheelock,  Haslington,  Hassall,  Betchton,  Bradwall, 
Alcomlowe,  Newbold  Astbury,  Congleton,  Buglawton,  Odd  Rode,  Smalwood,  and  Church 
Lawton,  co.  Chester,  and  in  Brieryhurst,  in  Tunstall,  co.  Stafford  ;  and  also  the  advowson 
of  the  Vicarage  of  Sandbach,  for  the  sum  of  £7,0^0.  To  a  similar  agreement,  dated  the  same 
day,  William  Leversage,  the  younger,  son  and  heir  of  Thomas  Leversage,  "  who  was  the 
son  and  heir  of  William  Leversage,  of  Wheelock,  Esq.,  deceased,"  was  a  party,  and  it  was 
agreed  that  in  consideration  of  ^^600  (part  of  the  sum  above  named)  paid  to  him  by  the  said 
Thomas  Moulson,  he  was  to  join  in  the  conveyance  of  the  manor  of  Wheelock,  &c.,  and  also 
to  convey  to  his  uncle,  the  said  William  Leversage,  the  elder,  a  farm  called  Bolt's  Farm  in 
Betchton,  and  certain  other  messuages  and  lands  in  the  parish  of  Sandbach.  It  was  agreed 
that  the  whole  of  the  remainder  of  the  money  should  be  paid  by  the  said  Thomas  Moulson 
before  the  1st  September,  when  the  estates  were  to  be  absolutely  convej'ed  to  him  ;  and  it 
was  also  agreed  that  the  said  capital  messuage,  Wlieelock  Hall,  should  be  left  undefaced, 
"  the  glassc  waj'nscotte,  dressers,  plancks,  boardes,  shelves,  and  the  table  in  the  Hall  to  stand 
in  and  remain  in  the  said  capital  messuage." 

Of  TnOMA.S  MouLSOX,  Esq.,  who  thus  acquired  the  manor  and  Hall  of  Wheelock  by 
purchase  in  1647,  little  is  now  known,  He  appears  to  have  been  resident  in  London,  but 
it  is  not  unlikely  that  he  was  a  Cheshire  man  by  birth,  or  descended  from  Cheshire  ancestors. 
He  did  not,  however,  enjoy  his  new  estate  long,  as  he  died  at  Nantwich,  in  October,  1648, 
and  his  burial  is  recorded  in  the  Sandbach  Register,  to  have  taken  place  at  Sandbach 
on  October  7th. i'  He  is  described  in  the  Nantwich  Register  as  holding  the  rank  of  IMajor, 
and  he  was  probably  one  of  the  officers  in  the  garrison  in  that  town.  No  copy  of  his 
will  is  to  be  found  at  the  Probate  Court,  Chester,  or  at  Somerset  House,  London,  but  from 
the  original  will,  which  has  recently  come  into  my  hands,  it  would  appear  that  it  was 
"  inroUed  in  the  Hustings  of  the  Common  Pleas  in  )'e  Guildhall  on  Munda}-,  the  fifirst  Day 
of  June  1663."  Of  this  will,  which  is  dated  the  6th  September,  1648,  the  following  is  an 
abstract. 

"  In  the  name  of  God  Amen,  I  Thomas  Moulson  of  Wheelocke  in  the  County  of  Chester,  Esquire." 
"  My  body  to  be  interred  in  my  owne  He  in  the  pishe  Church  of  Sandbach  in  such  decent  manner  as  is 
meete."  "  I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  nephew  Thomas  Steephens,  all  my  manors,  messuages,  lands, 
tenements  &c.  whatsoever,  to  have  and  to  hold  the  same  to  him  and  the  heirs  male  of  his  body  lawfully 

°  The  following  fields  .ire  named  :  "the  High  feildes,  the  Sowne  Leighes,  the  Oldhoiise  feild,  the  Micklowe  'Wallfield, 
the  Little  Heyhouse  Croft,  the  Poole  feild,  the  "Marie  Meadowes,  the  Pen  Croft,  the  Aves,  the  Hall  Hey,  the  Heyhouse 
Crofts,  the  greate  Kyle,  the  Picken  Ryle,  the  Buckfield,  the  Gladefeild,  the  Ockclessefeild  and  meadow  and  two  other 
Ockclesse  feilds,  the  Rough  Croft  for  herbage,  the  Newe  Feece,  the  Horse  Pasture,  the  Rangie  Meadowe,  the  Bidnall,  the 
Bidnall  meadowe,  the  Walwyne  ground,  the  two  Brockas,  the  Tayntry  feild  together  with  the  howse,  bame,  crofts,  orchards, 
hopyards,  pygeon  howse,  and  the  niylnes  situate  lyinge  and  beinge  in  Wheelocke  aforesaid." 

f  See  p.  60.  In  the  Nantwich  Register  his  burial  is  thus  entered  : — "  164S,  Oct.  7.  Maior  [i.e.  Major]  Thomas  Moulson 
buried  at  Sandbach." 


WHEELOCK  TOWNSHIP.  105 


to  be  begotten,"  he  or  they  paying  all  the  legacies  left  in  the  said  will.  With  remainder  in  default  of 
issue  to  his  brother  Edward  Steephens,  with  remainder  to  Nicholas  Ranton,  son  of  the  testator's  sister 
Ranton,  with  remainder  to  Thomas  Ranton,  his  brother,  with  final  remainder  to  the  testator's  own 
right  heir  for  ever.  The  testator  then  bequeaths  the  following  legacies,  "  to  my  loveing  mother,  the 
yeerely  some  of  fiftye  pounds  per  annum  ;  "  "  to  my  brother[-in-law]  John  Steephens  Esq."  ;^io,  and  to 
his  wife  ;^ro  ;  to  Alderman  Kenericke  ;^io  and  to  his  wife  ^10  ;  "  to  my  cozen  Mr.  Serjant  Tumor  " 
;^io,  to  his  wife  ^10,  "and  to  my  cozen  Edward  his  sonne  "  ^10,  "  to  my  cozen  Anne  Calthropp, 
daughter  to  the  said  Serjant"  ^10  ;  to  Mr.  Francis  Rowland  ;^io  and  to  his  wife  ;^io  ;  "  to  my  cozen 
Thomas  Aldersey  of  Spurstow  "  ;^io  and  to  his  wife  £10  ;  "  to  my  cozen  Raven  "  ^10  and  to  his  wife 
jCio;  "to  my  uncle  Huxley"  ^5,  and  to  his  son,  his  wife  and  his  grandchild  ^5  each;  "to  my  cozen 
Kynaston  "  ^^5  and  to  his  wife  ^5  ;  "  to  my  cozen  Thomas  Edwards  "  ;^io  and  to  his  wife  ^10  ;  "  to 
my  cozen  Bassnett "  ^5,  and  to  his  wife  ^5  ;  "  to  my  aunt  Amey  Key  "  ;^4o  in  addition  to  the  ^60  of 
hers  which  the  testator  had  in  his  possession  ;  "  to  my  cozen  John  Jones  "  ^5  and  to  his  wife  ^^5  ;  "  to 
my  servant  Richard  Alexander  fifty  pounds,  to  my  servant  Richard  Roberts,  thirty  pounds  ; "  "  to  my 
neece  Anne  Steephens"  ;^io;  "to  my  neece  Rebecka  Ranton  and  to  hir  too  sisters  Anne  and 
Elizabeth  "  £10  each  ;  "  to  my  cozen  Lee  of  Darnall  "  ^^5. 

"To  the  poore  of  the  pishe  Church  of  Sandbache  tenn  pounds  towards  [the]  increase  of  their  stocke, 
vnto  the  poore  of  Namptwiche  tenn  pounds  to  be  sett  forth  att  the  oversight  of  the  Maior  [Major]  John 
Bromhall,  Mr.  Sabbath  Church  and  Mr.  Thomas  Noden."  "To  Mr.  Scinderlandi  if  he  preache  att  my 
funerall  five  pounds."  He  bequeathed  to  his  said  cozen  [i.e.  nephew]  Thomas  Steephens,  all  his  goods, 
chattells,  plate,  jewels,  &c.,  he  paying  the  said  legacies  and  hjs  debts,  and  if  these  cannot  be  paid  out  of  his 
personal  estate,  then  "  my  brother  [in  law]  the  said  Mr.  John  Steephens  shall  sell  the  messuages  and 
lands  in  London  for  the  speedy  payment  thereof,"  and  he  appoints  him  executor.  He  desired  his  said 
cousins,  Mr.  Thomas  Aldersey,  Mr.  William  Raven  [of  Elworth],  and  Mr.  Thomas  Edwards  to  be  overseers 
of  his  will.     Dated,  the  6th  September,  1648. 

Signed,  sealed,  and  published  (Signed)  Tho  :  Moulson, 

in  the  presence  of  Armorial  seal,  a  chevron  sable  between  three 

(Signed)  Tho :  Aldersey.  mullets ;    crest   on    a   wreath,  a   griffin 

Jo :  Jones.  rampant,  holding  in  the   dexter  paw  a 

Tho :  Minshull,  mullet. 

Rich.  Alexander, 
Wilt.   Meakin. 

Codicil,  dated  24th  September,  1648. 
The  following  additional  legacies  are  left : — "  to  John  Pratchett  and  Margery  his  wife  of  Namptwich  " 
;:^5  each,  "to  Richard  Proudelove  my  baylifife "  [probably  at  Sandbach]  ^S  ;  "to  William  Symonds  " 
^5;  "to  Henry  Marstone  my  cooke "  40s.;  "to  my  maide  Ann  Williamson"  20s,;  "to  my  man 
Anthony  Howcroft"  20s. ;  "  to  my  boy  Will.  Walker"  los.  "  Item  I  give  to  Docter  Anthoney  Marbury 
the  sume  of  tenn  poundes  and  the  bond  that  he  stands  bound  unto  me,  towards  his  charges";  "  to  George 
Reade  "  ^10.  "  To  the  parrish  of  Sandbeach  the  sume  of  two  poundes  and  tenn  shillinges  to  be  dispossed 
of  at  the  day  of  my  buriall  by  the  churchwardens  and  w"'  the  assistance  of  3  or  4  of  the  ablest  of  the 
parish  and  to  be  disposed  of  in  the  towne  of  Sandbeach." 

Witnesses  : —  (Signed)     Tho  :  Moulson 

Richard  Roberts  (same  armorial  seal) 

George  Reade 
Rich.  Alexander. 

1  I  have  not  been  able  to  identify  this  Mr.   Sinderlnnd  as  a  local  clerg)'man  beneficed  eilhtrr  at   Nantwich   or  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Sandbach. 

P 


io6  SANDBACH. 


Endorsed  :  IMemorand.  That  this  will  was  inrolled  in  the  Hustings  of  Coinon  Pleas  in  >-<■  Guildhall  On 
Munday  the  ffirst  Day  of  June  in  the  ffifteenth  yeare  of  .the  raigne  of  our  So'uaigne  Lord  King  Charles 
the  Second  &c.     [1663.]     Rawlins." 

Thomas  Stephens,  Esq.,  who  thus  succeeded  to  the  Wheelock  estate  on  the  death  of  his 
uncle,  Thomas  Moulson,  Esq.,  in  1648,''  was  the  eldest  son  and  heir- apparent  of  John  Stephens, 
of  L}-piat,  CO.  Gloucester,  Esq.,  who  had  a  \arge  estate  there,  on  which  he  resided. 

By  an  indenture  made  2Sth  May,  1662,'  between  Richard  Stephens,  of  Easington, 
CO.  Gloucester,  Esq.,  and  Stephen  Fowler,  of  Stonehouse,  in  the  same  county,  Esq., 
(jf  the  first  part,  and  John  Stephens,  of  Lypiatt,  in  the  same  county,  Esq.,  of  the  second 
part,  and  Thomas  Stephens,  eldest  son  and  heir-apparent  of  the  said  John  Stephens,  of 
the  third  part,  the  former  released  to  the  .said  Thomas  Stephens,  all  their  interest,  title, 
right,  &c.,  in  the  capital  messuage  called  the  Hall  of  Wheelock,  and  all  the  lands  thereto 
belonging  in  Wheelock,  Hassall,  and  Haslington,  co.  Chester,  and  of  and  in  all  the 
messuages  heretofore  leased  and  demised  by  Thomas  Moulson,  Esq.,  deceased,  to  William 
Leversage,  Esq.,  and  by  him  assigned  unto  the  said  Richard  Stephens  and  Stephen  Fowler.' 
A  few  months  prior  to  the  above,  a  deed  dated  30th  August,  1661,  was  made  to  lead  to  the 
use  of  a  Recovery  by  Thomas  Stephens,  Esq.,  of  the  manors  of  Wheelock  and  Hassall 
and   the  advowson    of    Sandbach   church,'  so   as   to  strengthen    his   title. 

Thom.\s  Stephens,  Esq.,  married  Anne,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Thomas  Child, 
of  Northwick,  in  the  parish  of  Bleckley,  co.  W^orcester,  Esq.,"  and  by  her,  or  some  other 
wife,  he  had  a  son  and  heir,  Thomas  Stephens,  who  married  Anne,  the  daughter  of  John 
Neale,  of  Alborough  Hatch,  in  the  parish  of  Barking,  Esq.  The  settlement  for  this  latter 
marriage  bears  date  the  7th  July,  1696,  and  by  it  the  manors  of  Wheelock  and  Hassall 
and  the  salt  works  in  Hassall  and  lands  and  messuages  there  and  in  Haslington,  Sandbach 
Astbury,  and  Church  Lawton,  were  settled.  By  an  indenture  dated  21st  Sept.  1696,  the 
said  Thomas  Stephens,  the  son,  leased  to  John  Meysey,  all  that  "  the  mannor  house  or 
capital  messuage  called  the  Hall  of  Wheelock,  in  Wheelock,"  and  certain  fields,  the  names 
of   which   are   all   duly   set   out.'' 

In  1707  an  Act  of  Parliament  was  obtained  for  settling  the  estates  of  Thomas  Stephens, 
Esq.,  in  the  counties  of  Chester  and  Stafford,  and  for  settling  another  estate  of  as  great  or 
greater  value  in  the  county  of  Gloucester.  In  this  there  is  mention  of  Nathaniel  and  Edward 
Stephens,  the  two  younger  sons  of  the  said  Thomas  Stephens,  the  elder,  Esq.,  who  were  both 
under  age  in  1696.  Nathaniel  died  about  169S,  under  age,  and  Edward  was  living  and 
twenty-one  years  of  age  in  1707.     Thomas  Stephens,  the  younger,  Esq.,  had  by  Anne  his  wife, 

'  Py  an  indenture  dated  25th  Jan.  164S-9,  made  between  Ralph  Hassall,  of  Congleton,  Esq.,  on  the  one  part,  and  Thomas 
Stephens,  son  and  heir-apparent  of  John  Stephens,  of  Overlippeat,  co.  Gloucester,  Esq.,  of  the  other  part,  the  said  Ralph 
Hassall,  in  consideration  of  ^1,040  paid  to  him  by  William  Leversage,  of  Wheelock,  Esq.,  released  and  confirmed  to  the  said 
Thomas  Stephens  the  following  closes  of  land  :  the  Pool  Field,  the  Pen  croft,  the  Hall  hey,  the  Walmes  ground,  the  Marie 
meadowes,  and  Podmore  meadowes,  "as  the  same  meadowes  do  lie  and  extend  themselves  above  and  beneath  the  rayles,"  a 
close  called  the  Oldhouse  field,  and  one  called  the  Taynlrie  field,  all  lying  in  Wheelock,  to  hold  to  him  and  his  heirs  lor  ever. 
(Wheelock  Deeds.) 

■■'  Wheelock  Deeds,  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Ackers,  of  Moreton  Hall. 

'  By  an  indenture  dated  l6th  Jan.  164S-9,  William  Leversage,  of  Wheelock,  Esq.,  conveyed  to  John  Stephens,  of  Over 
Lippiat,  CO.  Gloucester,  Esq.,  certain  messuages,  lands,  &c.,  in  Church  Lawton,  co.  Chester.     (WTieelock  Deeds.) 

"  The  marriage  settlement  {preserved  amongst  the  Wheelock  Deeds)  is  dated  loth  June,  1662,  and  by  it  the  manor  and 
manor  house  of  Over  Lippiat,  co.  Gloucester,  and  the  manor  and  manor  house  of  Wheelock,  co.  Chester,  and  all  the  lands, 
tenements,  &c.,  &c.,  to  the  said  m,inors  belonging,  the  manor  of  Hassall  .and  four  houses  in  Threadneedle  Street,  London,  in 
the  occupation  of  John  Stephens  (the  father)  and  Thomas  Stephens  (the  son),  and  late  in  the  occupation  of  Dame  Anne 
Moulson,  deceased,  or  hir  assigns,  were  settled. 


'  Wheelock  Deeds.     This  is  probably  a  lease  for  possession,  possibly  for  a  mortgage. 


WHEELOCK   TOWNSHIP.  107 

in  1707,  two  sons,  John  and  Thomas,  and  three  daughters,  Anne,  Hester,  and  Elizabeth. 
Tile  manors  in  Cheshire  are  said  to  be  at  a  great  distance  from  the  ancient  estate  of  the  family 
and  their  seat,  which  were  in  the  county  of  Gloucester.  By  a  deed  dated  22nd  Dec.  1724,  made 
between  John  Stephens,  son  of  the  said  Thomas  Stephens,  the  younger,  Esq.,  and  others,  the 
manors  of  Wheelock  and  Hassall  were  conveyed  in  trust  on  account  of  a  mortgage,  and  on  the 
17th  June,  1735,  the  mortgagees  or  their  assigns  conveyed  the  said  manors  and  the  advowson 
of  Sandbach  Church,  &c.,  to  Thomas  Powys,  of  Shrewsbury,  co.  Salop,  Esq.*  Thomas 
Stephens  presented  to  Sandbach  Church,  in  1674  and  1695  (see  p.  49),  and  there  is 
occasional  mention  of  the  family  in  the  account  of  the  Grammar  School.  They  were  non- 
resident, and  there  are  no  references  to  them  in  the  Registers. 

In  the  same  year,  by  deed  dated  the  19th  August,  1735,  the  said  Thomas  Powys,  of 
Shrewsbury,  Esq.,  conveyed  to  Edward  Powys,  Esq.,  one  of  his  sons,  and  Catherine,  wife  of  the 
said  Edward,  and  only  daughter  and  heir  of  John  Jelf,  late  of  the  city  of  Bristol,  merchant, 
deceased,  the  manors  of  Wheelock  and  messuages,  lands,  &c.,  there,  and  in  Alcumlow  and 
Church  Lawton,  the  manor  of  Hassall,  and  the  advowson  of  Sandbach  Church.  Edwarh 
Powys,  Esq.,''  who  appears  to  have  resided  at  Moreton  Hall,  died  on  the  29th  Sept.,  176S, 
aged  59,  and  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  where  a  mural  tablet,  erected  to  his  memory  by  his 
widow  and  his  son,  Thomas  Jelf  Powys,  Esq.,  still  remains  (see  p.  35).  By  his  wife 
Catherine,  who  survived  him,  and  who  in  1770  is  described  as  of  Gravel  Hill,  co.  Salop,  he 
left  two  sons,  Thomas  Jelf  Powys  and  Edward  Powys,  and  three  daughters,  Penelope,  Jane, 
and  Mary.  His  son  and  heir,  TllOM,\S  jELF  PoWY.s,  Esq..^  succeeded  to  his  estates, 
including  Wheelock;  his  second  son  became  a  clergyman,  and  is  described  in  1779  ^-s  the 
Rev.  Edward  Powys,  of  Shrewsbury,  clerk  ;  his  eldest  daughter,  Penelope,  married  Thomas 
Cartwright,  of  Congleton,  and  afterwards  of  Denbigh,  apothecary  ;  his  second  daughter,  Jane, 
married  Charles  Fowler,  of  Shrewsbury,  draper,  and  in  1779  Mary  Powys,  his  youngest 
daughter,  was  still  unmarried. 

By  deeds  dated  the  24th  and  25th  March,  1793,  which  are  described  as  "a  lease  and 
release  of  27  parts," !  Thomas  Jelf  Powys,  Esq.,  and  others  conveyed  to  Holland  Ackers,  of 
Manchester,  Esq.,  the  manor  of  Wheelock,  and  messuages  and  lands  there  and  in  Haslington, 
Hassall,  and  Sandbach,  the  manor  of  Moreton  and  messuages  and  lands  there  and  in  Odd 
Rode,  and  the  manor  of  Smallwood  and  messuages,  lands  there  and  in  Newbold  Astbur}-, 
Buglawton,  and  Congleton.  Holland  Ackers,  Esq.,  who  was  a  very  prominent  citizen  of 
Manchester,  died  at  his  residence  Lark  Hill,  Salford,  on  the  17th  April,  1 801,  aged  56.  His 
estates  at  Wheelock  and  elsewhere  are  now  the  property  of  his  descendants,  being  held  in  trust 
for  the  co-heiresses  of  the  late  GEORGE  HOLLAND  ACKERS,  Esq." 

Wheelock  Hall,  a  half-timbered,  black  and  white  building,  now  used  as  a  farm-house, 
is  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  Wheelock,  about  a  mile  from  Sandbach. 

"  Wheelock  Deeds.  Richard  Vernon,  of  Middlewich,  Esq.,  was  one  of  the  parties  to  the  deed  of  1724,  as  was  also 
Thomas  Weston,  of  Middlewich,  gentleman. 

•  An  Act  of  Parliament  was  obtained,  in  1743,  for  vesting  part  of  the  settled  estate  of  Edward  Powys,  Esq.,  and 
Catherine,  his  wife,  in  trustees  for  raising  money  to  pay  debts  and  for  settling  his  estates  generally,  for  which  it  appears  he  had 
also  the  manors  of  Moreton  and  Smallwood,  co.  Chester,  and  the  capital  messuage  of  Moreton,  which  Thomas  Powys,  his 
father,  had  purchased  from  the  Bellots  and  their  trustees  on  the  17th  June,  1735.  He  had  at  that  time  (1743)  only  two 
daughters, — Penelope,  about  4  years  of  age,  and  Jane. 

y  In  1779,  in  a  mortgage  of  some  property  to  the  Right  Hon.  Lady  Hester  Malpas,  otherwise  called  Lady  Hester 
Cholmondeley,  widow,  he  is  described  as  Thomas  Jelf  Powys,  of  Berwick,  co.  .Salop,  Esq. 

'  At  the  date  of  the  Sandbach  tithe  dispute,  1S2S  to  1S35,  the  only  large  owner  of  land  in  this  township  was  George 
Ackers,  Esq. 

P    2 


SANDBACH. 


On  both  sides  of  the  little  river  Wheelock,  which  flows  through  this  township,  brine-springs 
are  found,  and  salt  is  made  from  them  to  a  considerable  amount. 

CllKlST  Church,  in  Wheelock,  was  erected  by  public  subscription  in  1S36,  and  was 
opened  for  divine  service  in  1837,"  but  was  not  consecrated  till  20th  I'eb.,  1843.  The  presentation 
is  in  the  gift  of  the  Vicar  of  Sandbach.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  Incumbents: — Thomas 
Gardiner  ]\I organ  appointed  8th  July,  1S43  ;  John  Dobic,  MA.,  appointed  21st  January,  1870, 
on  the  death  of  Thomas  G.  Morgan  ;  Cliarlcs  Lane,  M.A.,  appointed  9th  September,  1873,  o" 
the  resignation  of  J.  Dobie  ;  the  present  Vicar. 


iHainiDaiing  of  Qrcliti. 


{Etormloto  of  9ictiir. 


Qrrtili  Cciiunsl)ip* 


F  the  past  history  of  this  Township  very  little  is  now  known.  There  are  a  few 
deeds  relating  to  it  preserved  in  Harl.  MS.  2077  f  239,  of  which  I  have  copies, 
but  they  do  not  throw  much  light  on  its  early  possessors.  The  following  account 
of  the  descent  of  the  manor  is  based  on  that  given  by  Dr.  Williamson  in  his 
MS.  Mllarc  Ccstricnsc,  in  the  British  Museum.  In  the  reign  of  Edward  I. 
[1272  to  1307]  William,  the  son  of  Richard  Bernard,  gave  to  Alexander,  son  of 
Alexander    dc    Bunburj',  all   his    land    in   Arcl}-d,  and   appointed   William   de  Spurstow,  his 


»  "A   Hymn  iin   the  Opening  of  Wheelock  Church,  Cheshire,   Aug.    30,    1837,"  was   wriltcn   by  Mr.  John  Latham,  of 
lliaduall,  ami  is  ininled  in  his  privately-printed  "  English  and  Latin  Poems,  1S53,"  p.  46. 


ARCLID  TOWNSHIP. 


109 


i%lnm\uarmtj  of  !3iTliti,  ro.  Cl)rstfr,  anti  ^Irpf,  ro.  ^alop. 

Ranple  Mainwarint,   =f     Margaret,      Authorilies  :      Arclid      Deed; 


(ihird  son  of  Randle 

Mainwaring,  o(  Over 

Peover,  co.  Chester, 

Esq.),  of  Kermincham, 

CO.  Chester,  Esq. 

Living  1445. 


dau.  of  Sir  John         pf      )_  ]yjg_    ,     ,-    ff^   230-40, 
•Savage,  knt.,  ,  ,■         '  ji- "  Ar   ■ 

rehct  of  Sir  John      ^nd  pedigree  ff.  241-2  ;  Visi 
Macclesfeld,  Km.      tation    ol     Cheshire,     1566 
Sandbach  Registers,  &c. 


I 

3.  Robert 
Mainwaring 

(third  son). 

Living  1503 
(Archd  deeds). 


Margery, 

dau.  and  heir 

of  Richard 

Horton,  of 

Slepe,  CO. 

Salop. 

Living  1503. 


I  I 

I.   Randle  2.   Roger 

Mainwaring,  Mainwaring, 

of  Kermincham,  Escheator  of 

Esq.     Marr.  Chester. 

Margaret,  dau.  =p 

of  Hugh  /f\ 

Davenport,  of  Two  co-heirs. 
Henbury,  Esq. 


I 

Roger        ■ 

Mainwauing, 

son  and  heir 

of  Roljert. 

Marr.  sett. 

29  Jan.  1502-3. 

He  was  living 

1520. 


Arms:  Two  bars  Gules  (?  a  mullet 

argent  for  difference). 
Crest :     An    ass's    head    proper, 

issuant  from  a  ducal  coronet. 


Elizabeth, 

dau.  and  heir 

of  Edward 

Berisford 

( younger  son 

of  Berisford  of 

Bentley,  Esq.), 

and  Jane  his 

wife,  dau.  and 

co-heir  of  Peter 

Clotton  of 

Arclid  and 

Maud  his  wife. 

Living  1520. 


I 

Thomas 

Mainwaring, 

second  son. 


I.  Randle 
Mainwaring, 
of  Kermin- 
cham, Esq. 

T 
A. 


2.  Thomas 
Mainwaring, 
of  Calveley. 
Marr.  Maud,  dau. 
and  heir  of  Thomas 
Smethwicls  and 
Jane  his  wife,  dau.  and  co-heir 
of  Peter  Clotton  of  Arclid 
and  Maud  his  wife. 


7k. 


Mainwaring  of  Calveley, 

CO.  Chester,  who  also  held  lands 

in  Arclid. 


Robert  Mainwaring, 
son  and  heir  in  1520. 


Joan,  dau.  of  George  Mainwaring, 
of  Cotton,  CO.  Salop,  gent.,  second 

son  of  Thomas  Mainwaring,  of 

Ightfeld  and  ....   his  wife,  dau. 

of  ...   .    Moore,  of  Bank  Hall, 

CO.  Lane. 


Roger 
linwaring 


Randle 
M. 


Henry 

M. 


I    I    I    I 
Maud  M. 

Jane  M. 

Isabel  M. 

Anne  M. 


I 

Arthur  Mainwaring,  = 

ofArcIyd.     ?  Living  1566. 

(See  Visitation  of  Cheshire 

in  that  year.) 


I  III  III 

A.N'NE,  dau  of  Hitgh  Hall,  George       William     Anne     Elizabeth     Margaret     Jane     Rose 

of  Belgrave,  co.  Lane,  and     Mainwaring        M.  M.  M.  M.  M.       M. 

Elizabeth  his  wife,  dau.  of      (?  of  Lane, 
.  .  .  .  Hockenhull  of  Duddon.        Esq.). 


I 
Arthur  Mainwaring, 
of  Arclid 


Isabel,  dau.  of  John  Ravenshaw,  of 

Baddington,  and  his  wife  ....   eldest 

dau.  and  co-heir  of  Roger  Hockenhull, 

of  Duddon,  son  of  Richard  Hockenhull 

and  Marger)'  his  wife,  dau.  of  John 

Hockenhull,  of  Hockenhull,  Esq. 


I 

John 

Mainwaring 


Robert 
Mainwaring. 


Jane 
Mainwaring 


George  Mainwaring,     = 
of  Arclid,  gent.    Living  1652. 
Appears  to  have  sold  the 
estate  prior  to  1670. 


:    Margaret,  dau.  of  John  Cheswys, 
of  Mickley,  in  Bromhall.     Her  mother 

was  dau.  to  Walthall,  of  Wolstanston. 

?  Buried  at  Sandbach,  20  May,  1664. 


Peter  Mainwaring. 

Died  ....  1652  (?), 

€latis  20  anil. 


Elizabeth 

Mainwaring 

S.P. 


I 

Andrew 

Mainwaring. 


Arthur 
Mainwarina 


I 

George 

Mainwaring. 


J                              I  i 

Phillip                   Henry  Edward 

Mainwaring.  Mainwaring.  Mainwaring. 

Bapt.  at  S.,  Bapt.  at  S.,  Bapt.  at  S., 

13  Sept.  1(535.  20  Aug.  1637.  22  Dec.  1639. 


Katherine  Mainwaring, 
dau.  of  George  M.,  gent. 
Bur.  at  S.,  30  Oct.  1642. 


Margaret 

Mainwaring. 

S.P. 


I 

Mary 

Mainwaring. 


Dorothy 
Mainwaring. 


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attorney,  to  deliver  seisin  thereof.  A  family,  which  bore  the  local  name,  are  occasionally  met 
with,  of  whom  Randle,  son  of  Ralph  de  Arclyd,  Alexander  his  son,  and  John  de  Arclyd,  the 
latter  living  t,^  Edward  I.  [1305]  are  instances.  Tlioiiias  de  Arclyd,  who  held  lands  here  under  the 
Baron  of  Kinderton  (but  how  obtained  is  uncertain),  had  a  daughter  and  heiress,  Ellen,  who 
married  Thomas  Hassall,  and  they  were  both  living  in  the  47th  Edward  III.  [1373],  when  a  fine 
was  levied  to  which  they  were  parties.  In  the  6th  Henry  V.  [141 8]  Thomas  de  Witlicnsliazu 
appeared  in  the  court  at  Kinderton  "  and  did  his  fealty  to  the  King,  as  Earl  of  Chester,  and 
acknowledged  to  hold  of  the  King,  as  of  the  right  of  Hugh  de  Venables,  of  Kinderton,  then  in 
ward  to  the  King,  the  fourth  part  of  the  manor  of  Arclyd,  with  its  appurtenances  in  capite  by 
knight's  service."  This  Thomas  de  Withenshaw,  as  appears  b)-  his  Inquisition  post  mortem, 
taken  in  January,  1424,  had  died  in  December,  1423,  seised  of  3  messuages  and  80  acres  of 
land  in  Arclyd,  worth  per  annum  53s.  4d.,  held  of  Hugh  de  Venables,  of  Kinderton,  then  a 
minor  and  a  ward  of  the  King,  by  knight's  ser\-ice.  His  grandson,  John  de  Withenshaw  (son 
and  heir  of  Richard,  his  son  and  heir  apparent  deceased),  was  his  ne.xt  heir,  and  then  8  years 
of  age. 

F"roni  the  deeds  in  Harl.  MS.  2077,  it  appears  that  Piers  Clotton,  living  in  1498,  but  dead 
in  I  503,  held  lands  in  Arclyd,  which  descended  to  his  only  child,  Jane  Clotton.  She,  by  her 
first  husband,  Edward  Berisford  (a  younger  son  of  Berisford  of  Bentley,  co.  Derby),  who  was 
dead  before  149S,  had  two  daughters,  co-heirs,  Elizabeth  and  Margaret  Berisford,  the  former 
of  whom  married  Roger  Mainwaring,  the  marriage  settlement  being  dated  29th  Jan.,  1502-3. 
This  Roger  M.VINW.\RIXG  was  the  son  and  heir  of  Robert  Mainwaring,  of  Slepe,  co.  Salop, 
the  third  son  of  the  first  Randle  Mainwaring,  of  Kermincham,  co.  Chester,  Esq.  The  descent 
of  this  family  (as  given  in  Harl.  MS.  2077)  is  shown  in  the  pedigree  on  page  109,  brought 
down  to  George  Mainwaring,  of  Arclid,  gent.,  who  was  living  in  1652.  They  were  not  resident 
in  this  parish,  and  most  likely  lived  on  their  estate  at  Slepe.  There  are  no  entries  relating  to 
them  in  the  Sandbach  Registers  till  the  year  1635,  when  between  that  year  and  1642  the 
baptisms  of  four  of  the  children  of  George  Mainwaring  occur.  There  are  no  wills  relating  to 
this  family  now  at  Chester,  as  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  which  is  also  strong  evidence  of  their 
residence  outside  the  county  palatine.  George  Mainwaring  appears  to  have  sold  his  estate 
ill  Arclid  before  1671  to  John  Furnivall,  of  Betchton.  It  shortly  afterwards  passed  into  the 
family  of  Moreton,  of  Little  Moreton  Hall,  near  Congleton,  and  is  now  held  by  Mrs.  Morcton- 
Craigie,  the  widow  of  John  Moreton-Craigie,  Esq. 

Arclid  Hall  is  now  a  farm-house,  but  probably  stands  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  seat  of 
the  Arcl\'ds  and  Mainwarings,  being  placed  in  a  well-chosen  situation  in  a  valley  near  the  river 
W'hcclock.     There  is  a  nice  old  staircase  in  the  Hall. 

The  following  is  the  list  of  the  freeholders  in  this  township  in  1671,  taken  from 
Harl.  MS.  2010. 

Arclid. — Roger  Berrington,  William  Turner,  George  Twemlow,  Robert,  Lord  Cholmondeley,  Thomas 
>.lain\varing,  of  Calveley,  gent.,  and  John  (Turnivall,  of  Betchton,  late  Geo.  Mainwaring,  of  Arclid,  gent. 

The  lands  held  in  this  township  by  the  Mainwarings  of  Cahele)-,  passed  to  them 
as  shown  in  the  pedigree  of  the  Mainwarings  of  Arclid,  from  Maud  Smethwick,  the 
daughter  and  heir  of  Jane  Clotton  b)-  her  second  husband  Thomas  Smethwick.  It  was 
probabl}-  onl\-  a  small  estate. 

George    Twemlow,    above    mentioned,    acquired    his    lands    in     this    township   b}'    his 


ARCLID  TOWNSHIP.     THE  TWEMLOW  FAMILY.  113 


marriage  with  Mary  Lingard,  the  grand-daughter  and  heiress  of  WilUam  Lingard,  whu 
had  purchased  them  about  the  year  1612.  This  marriage  took  place  on  the  7th  Aug.  1654' 
as  thus  entered  in  the  Sandbach   Register. 

"  George  Twemlowe  ye  sonne  of  John  Twemlowe  of  Betchton  yeoman  and  Mary  Lingard  of 
Arclid  spinster  were  published  three  Market  dayes  that  is  to  say  the  20th  day  of  July  and  the  27th 
of  July  and  the  3rd  day  of  August.  And  the  said  George  Twemlowe  and  Mary  Lingard  were  married 
the  seventh  day  of  August  [1654]." 

His  direct  descendant,  Mr.  Thomas  Twemlow,  of  Liverpool,  owned  this  estate  in  1820, 
but  it  was  sold  by  his  son  and  heir,  the  late  Rev.  William  Hamilton  Twemlow  in  1S74, 
in  small  lots.  A  younger  branch  of  this  family,  as  shown  in  the  pedigree  on  pages  i  lo-i  11,  is 
represented  by  Thomas  Fletcher  Twemlow,  of  Betley  Court,  co.  Stafford,  Esq.  He  is  also 
the  lord  of  the  manor  of  Arclid,  which,  having  passed  with  the  lordship  of  Kinderton  to  the 
Vernons,  was  sold  by  Lord  Vernon,  early  in  this  century,  to  Mr.  Ralph  Leeke,  of  Middlewich. 
From  his  representatives  it  passed,  about  18 17,  to  Thomas  Lowe,  of  Brereton,  yeoman,  by 
whom  it  was  sold  to  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Twemlow,  and  in  1874  was  purchased  by  T.  F.  Twemlow, 
of  Betley  Court,  Esq. 

The  ancient  residence  of  the  Twemlow  family  in  Arclid  is  called  the  Brook  House. 
It  is  a  timber  and  plaster  building,  placed  on  the  side  of  the  little  brook,  which  runs  through 
the  township. 

At  the  time  of  the  Sandbach  Tithe  Defence  Fund  (i  828-1  S3 5)  the  chief  landowners  in 
this  township  were  the  Rev.  M.  Moreton,  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Twemlow,  Mr.  John  Twemlow,  and 
Mr.  J.  M.  Barrington. 


114 


SANDBACH. 


5>Ms's.-ill  oi  jlKissall. 


ttlrlJi  of  iLttttc  ?i).i5san. 


ilotuiiOrs  of  Jjostori!  3l)ousr. 


itMddaU  CoUmsIjijp, 


HIS  township,  now  included  in  Xantwich  Hundred,  was,  at  the  time  of  the 
Domesday  Survey,  ioS6,  in  "  Mildestvic  "  Hundred,  and  was  then  divided  into  two 
portions,  which  are  described  as  follows  : — 


Ibdcm  Willelmus  tenet  Eteshale.  Outi  tenuit 
L-t  liber  homo  fuit.  Ibi  dimidia  hida  geldabilis. 
'I'erra  est  ii  carucats.  Ibi  i  radman  cum  dimidia 
carucata  et  i  servo  et  i  radman  et  ii  villani  et  iii 
bordarii  cum  i  carucata.  Silva  i  leuva  longa  et 
haia  ibi  et  aira  accipitris.  Tempore  regis  Edwardi 
valebat  iiii  solidos.     Modo  v  solidos. 


Isdem  \\"illelmus  tenet  Eteshale.  Godric  tenuit 
et  liber  homo  fuit.  Ibi  dimidia  hida  geldabilis. 
Terra  est  ii  carucata;.  Ibi  i  radman  cum  i  bor- 
dario  habet  dimidiam  carucatam.  Tempore  regis 
Edwardi  valebat  v  solidos.  Mouo  v  solidos. 
W'asla  fuit. 


The  same  William  [Malbedeng]  holds  Eteshale. 
Outi  held  it  and  was  a  free  man.  There  is  half  a 
hide  rateable  to  the  gelt  [tax].  The  land  is  ii  caru- 
cates.  There  is  one  radman  with  half  a  carucate 
and  one  serf  and  i  radman  and  ii  villains  and  iii 
bordars  [cottagers]  with  i  carucate.  There  is  a 
wood  a  league  [i^  miles]  long  and  one  hay  [enclo- 
sure into  which  animals  could  be  driven]  and  a 
hawk's  aery.  In  King  Edward  [the  Confessor's] 
time  it  was  worth  iiii  shillings  now  v  shillings. 

The  same  \\'illiam  holds  Eteshale.  Godric  held 
it  and  was  a  free  man.  There  is  half  a  liide  rate- 
able to  the  gelt.  The  land  is  ii  carucates.  One 
radman  with  i  bordar  [cottager]  there  has  half  a 
carucate.  In  King  Edward's  time  it  was  worth 
V  shillings.  It  is  now  worth  5  shillings.  It  was 
waste. 


H  ASS  ALL   TOWNSHIP.  115 


This  William  Malbedcng  was  the  first  Baron  of  Wich  INLilbanc  or  Nantwicli,  and  Ilassali 
remained  in  the  possession  of  his  descendants  till  the  16  Edward  L,  1288,  when,  on  the  division 
of  that  baron}',  it  fell  to  the  share  of  Eleanor,  the  second  co-hciress,  and  was  b}'  her  granted  to 
the  family  of  Aldithelegh  or  Audlcy.  By  a  deed  without  date,  copied  in  Harl.  MS.  2,074, 
f.  166,  Henry  de  Aldithelegh  grants  ''  Hatishale,"  with  its  appurtenances  and  certain  lands 
called  Budenhall,  to  Henr\-  de  Bethelegh.  Dr.  Ormerod  prints  an  interesting  charter  of  this 
Henry  de  Betley,  not  dated,  to  which  was  appended  a  seal  of  green  wax  bearing  a  large  pheon 
or  arrow-head,  and  the  superscription  SIGILL  HENRICI  DE  HTESH  [Heteshale],  so  that  it  is 
probable  that  he  adopted  the  local  name  of  Heteshale  or  Hassall,  and  was  the  ancestor  of  the 
family  of  that  name,  who  afterwards  bore  for  arms,  part}'  per  chevron  Argent  and  Or,  three 
phco)is  Sable. 

Dr.  Williamson,  in  his  Vlllarc  Ccstricnse,  states  that  the  Hassalls  appear  to  have  originall}- 
held  only  one  moiety  of  the  manor  of  Hassall,  since,  in  the  Inquisition  post  mortem  of  Thomas, 
son  of  Nicholas  de  Audelegh,  it  was  returned  that  Adam  Wood  and  Richard  de  Hassall  held 
that  manor  from  him  by  the  third  part  of  one  knight's  fee.  In  the  Clusliire  Pica  Rolls, 
II  Edward  III.  [1337],  Alice,  the  widow  of  William  Ademet,  sued  Adam,  son  of  William  del 
Wode,  of  Hassall,  for  dower  of  two  parts  of  the  manor  of  Hassall. 

According  to  Williamson,  in  the  iSth  Edward  III.  [1344],"  RlCIlARD  DE  Hassal  gave  to 
Adam  de  Hassal,  chaplain,  his  manor  of  Hassal,  near  Haslington,  with  its  appurtenances,  which 
said  manor  Adam  settled  the  same  year  on  the  said  Richard  for  his  life,  with  remainder  to 
Richard  Hassal,  the  younger,  and  Ellen,  daughter  of  Robert  de  Becheton,  and  their  heirs  for 
ever.  In  47  Edward  III.  [1373]  a  fine  was  levied  between  Robert  P}'ke,  chaplain,  and  RoP.EKT 
DE  Hassal  and  Cicely,  his  wife,''  of  7  messuages,  80  acres  of  land,  &c.,  in  Hankilowe,  the 
same  to  remain  to  the  said  Robert  and  Cicely  and  their  heirs  male,  with  remainder  to  Alice, 
their  daughter,  with  remainder  to  ]\Iatilda,  their  daughter.''  Owing  to  the  absence  of  earl}- 
deeds,  the  exact  line  of  descent  of  this  family  is  not  easy  to  trace  ;  but,  according  to  the  old 
pedigrees,  the  above-named  Richard  had  a  son  and  heir  Richard.  JOHN  DE  Hassal,  who  was 
living  in  1422,  is  made  out  to  be  the  son  of  this  Richard,  but  it  would  seem  most  probable  that 
he  was  the  son  and  heir  of  the  Robert  de  Hassal  and  Cicel}-  above  referred  to.''  This  John  is 
considered  to  have  been  the  father  of  RICHARD  DE  Hassall,  who  occurs  on  the  Chcsliirc 
Recognizance  Rolls  in  1419  and  1420.  In  1423  he  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  late  the  wife  of  Richard 
de  Sondebache,  are  named  on  the  Clicshirc  Plea  Rolls  in  connexion  with  land  at  Hindeheath, 
near  Sandbach,  and  on  the  6th  Aug.  1430  he  was  appointed  a  collector  of  a  subsidy  in  Nantwich 
Hundred,  and  again  on  the  12th  June,  1442,  as  "  Richard  Hassall  of  Hankylowe,"  he  wasappointed 
to  a  similar  office.  In  1455,  Robert,  son  of  Robert  [Richard  .']  de  Hassall,  and  Ellen,  his  wife, 
occur,''  and  on  the  1st  Oct.    14S8,  Hugh  Hassall,  of  Hankelow,  was  appointed  a  collector  of  a 

»  In  1342  a  fine  was  levied  between  Randall,  son  of  Richard  de  Hassall,  and  Thomas  de  Hassall  and  .ALirgery  his  wife, 
concerning  a  salt-pan  in  Wich  Malbanc  (C/iahiie  Ftm-s).  Other  lines  in  this  year  to  which  Thomas  de  Hassall  and  Margery 
were  parties,  relate  to  land  in  Upton,  near  Chester. 

>>  From  the  Cheshire  Recognizance  Rolls,  137S,  it  is  clear  that  this  Cicely  was  the  daughter  of  Richard  del  Hogh  and 
Alice,  his  wife,  daughter  and  heir  of  Richard  del  Wode. 

■^  Cheshire  Fines.  See  also  Cheshire  Plea  Rolls,  Public  Record  Office.  In  this  year  a  fine  was  levied  between  Randle 
del  Ford,  Vicar  of  the  church  of  Sondebache,  and  Thomas  de  Hassale  and  Ellen  his  wife,  of  3  messua"es  60  acres  of  land  ,^c  ■ 
in  Arclid.      (Plea  Rolls.)  " 

''  A  William  de  Hassal  occurs  on  the  Cheshire  Recognizance  Rolls  in  this  year,  and  Thomas  de  Hassal  was  ^'■icar  of 
Sandbach  from  1401  to  1455  (see  p.  46). 

'  Cheshire  Fines.  This  fine  related  to  a  messuage  in  Hankelowe,  the  right  heirs  of  Richard  de  Hassall  of  Hankelowe 
being  last  in  remainder. 

Q    2 


ii6  SANDBACH. 


subsidy  in  Xantwich  Hundi-cd/  Contemporaneous  with  this  Hugh  Hassal  was  Hamo  Hassall 
(possibl)-  his  brother),  who  was  a  king's  serjeant-at-law  in  the  counties  of  Chester  and  Fhnt  in 
1473,  and  one  of  the  stewards  of  the  town  of  Middlewich  in  1490.  He  had  a  son,  Richard,  who 
was  appointed  a  king's  serjeant-at-law  in  place  of  his  father  on  the  i8th  May,  151 1. 

Ralph  Hassall,  of  Hankelowe,  said  to  be  son  of  Hugh,  was  a  collector  of  a  subsidy  in 
Nantwich  Hundred  in  1504,  his  son  and  heir,  RICHARD  HASSALL,  of  Hankclow,  occurs  in 
1520  and  1521,8  in  the  former  of  which  years  his  wife,  Ellen,  is  also  mentioned.''  In  the 
previous  year,  1519,  there  is  enrolled  on  the  Chcsliire  Pica  Rolls  a  recovery  suffered  by  Richard 
Hassall,  son  and  heir  of  Hamo,  against  RiCHARD  HASSALL,  son  and  heir  of  Ralph  Hassall, 
Humphrey  Hassall  [his  brother],  and  others  of  a  messuage,  60  acres  of  land,  &c.,  in  Hankylowe. 
W'n.LLVM  Hassall,  of  Hankelow,  said  to  be  the  son  of  this  Richard,  is  mentioned  in  1542.' 
According  to  the  pedigrees  of  this  family  (Harl.  MSS.  2,161  and  1,535)  li<2  had  a  son  and 
successor,  WiLLLVM  Hassall,  of  Hankelow,  Esq.,  who  died  in  March,  1567-8,  and  in  his 
Inquisition  post  inortcui,  taken  in  that  year,  it  was  returned  that  he  had  died  seised  of 
7  messuages,  200  acres  of  land,  20  acres  of  meadow,  200  acres  of  pasture,  held  of  Sir  John 
Savage,  knt.,  in  Hankelowe,  4  messuages,  100  acres  of  land,  20  acres  of  meadow,  lOO  acres  of 
pasture,  and  10  acres  of  wood  in  Hassall,  held  of  the  Queen  as  Earl  of  Chester  by  knight's 
.service,  2  messuages  and  certain  lands,  &c.,  in  CreswelLshawe,  similarly  held  of  the  Queen,  and 
2  messuages  and  certain  lands  in  Birchcr  [Birchall]  within  the  lordship  of  Hatherton,  also  held 
of  the  Queen.  Ralph  H.ASS.all,  who  was  his  son  and  heir,  was  then  6  years  and  7  months 
old,  and  on  the  15th  Jan.  1584-5,  he  had  special  livery  of  his  lands  granted  to  him  without 
proof  of  age.  He  married,  at  Sandbach,  Sth  Jan.  1576-7,  Margery,  daughter  of  William 
Leversage,  of  Wheelock,  Esq.,  by  whom  he  had  four  sons,  three  of  whom  died  young,  and  three 
daughters.  After  his  wife's  death  he  married  again,  and  had  a  second  family.  He  died  in 
1622,  and  then,  as  quaintly  stated  in  Harl.  MS.  2,161,  Ralph  Has.sall,  his  only  surviving  son 
and  heir  by  his  first  wife,  and  William  Hassall,  his  eldest  son,  by  his  second  wife,  "  fell  at 
variance  about  the  estate,  which  was  mediated  [upon]  by  severall  gentlemen,  who  concluded  that 
Rafe  should  have  Hassall  and  William  have  Hank)'lowe,  which  said  Rafe  shortly  afterwards 
sold  Hassall  and  died  s.  p." 

The  above  statement  is  confirmed  by  the  following  document,  which  is  interesting  enough 
to  print  in  its  entiret)-  : — 

Division  of  the  Manors  of  Hassall  and  Hankekno  'b-'C.  between  Ralph  Hassall,  of  Hassall,  gent. , 
anJ   William  Hassall,  his  half-brother,  in   1623. 

This  Indenture  Tripartite  made  the  2  Sept.  21  James  [1623]  Between  Raphe  Hassall,  of 
Hassall,  co.  Chester,  gentleman,  son  and  heir  of  Raphe  Hassall,  late  of  Hankelowe,  co.  Chester,  Esqr. 
deceased,  of  the  first  part,  William  Hassall,  of  Hankelowe,  aforesaid,  gentleman,  one  of  the  younger  sons 
of  the  said  Raphe  Hassall,  deceased,  of  the  second  part,  Sr.  Richard  Wilbraham,  of  Woodhey, 
CO.  Chester,  knight  and  baronet,  George  Cotton,  of  Cumbermeyre,  co.  Chester,  Esq.,  and  William 
Leversage,  of  Wheelocke,  co.  Chester,  Esqr.  of  the  third  part.  Where.as  question  of  debate  hath  hereto- 
fore arisen  between  the  said  Raphe  Hassall,  the  son,  and  the  said  William  Hassall,  concerning  the  right 
and  title  of  the  manors  of  Hankelowe  and  Hassall,  with  their  appurtenances,  in  the  County  of  Chester 
and  of  all  the  manors,  messuages,  lands  &c.  whereof  the  said  Raphe  Hassall,  deceased,  was  in  his  lifetime 

'  C/u-s/iii-c  Recopiizancc  Rolls.  >>  Cheshire  Plea  Rolls. 

B  Clieshire  Recognizance  Rolls.  '  Cheshire  Reeo^nizance  Rolls. 


HASSALL   TOWNSHIP.  117 


seised  of  any  estate  of  inheritance,  in   possession,   remainder,  or  reversion,   in   Hankelowe  and   Hassali 
aforesaid  and  in  Byrchall,  Audlem,  and  Betchton  or  elsewhere  within  the  said  County  of  Chester. 

Now  these  presents  witness,  that  the  said  Raphe  Hassali,  the  son,  and  William  Hassali,  are  agreed  in 
manner  following,  that  is  to  say,  that  the  said  Ra]5he  Hassalli  shall,  for  ever  hereafter  hold  and  enjoy 
to  him,  and  his  heirs  and  assigns,  All  the  manor  of  Hassali,  aforesaid,  and  all  the  messuages  lands  &c. 
situate  in  Hassali  and  Betchton  aforesaid  with  their  appurtenances.  And  that  the  said  William  Hassali, 
his  heirs  and  assigns,  shall  for  ever  hereafter  hold  and  enjoy  the  said  manor  of  Hankelowe,  with  its  rights 
and  appurtenances,  and  all  the  residue  of  the  said  lands,  &c.  in  Hankelowe,  Audlem,  and  Byrchall 
aforesaid.  And  for  the  better  assuring  of  all  the  said  premises,  according  to  the  true  meaning  of  the  said 
agreement  It  is  covenanted  and  agreed  between  the  said  parties,  that  at  the  Great  Sessions  to  be  holden 
for  the  said  County  of  Chester,  next  after  the  date  of  these  presents,  one  fine  shall  be  levied  to  the  said 
S''  Richard  Wilbraham,  &c.  of  all  the  said  premises,  by  the  name  of  the  manors  of  Hankelowe  and 
Hassali  with  their  appurtenances  and  36  messuages,  2  watercorn  milnes,  20  orchards,  20  gardens, 
500  acres  of  land,  200  acres  of  meadow,  400  acres  of  pasture,  40  acres  of  wood,  40  acres  of  turbary, 
40  acres  of  heath  and  firres  [s/'c  for  furze],  with  the  appurtenances  in  Hankelowe,  Hassali,  Betchton, 
Byrchall,  and  Audelem  aforesaid. 

(Signed)         Ric  :  Wilbraham.  Geo  :  Cotton.                         William  Hassall. 

Sealed  «S:c.  in  the  presence  of,  "  This  is  a  true  Copye  and  agreeth  with  the 

William  Moreton  originall  w''''  remeynes  in   the  Custodye 

Witt  Grosvenor  of    Wittm.     Leversage     Esq'     and     is 

Geo  :  Bickerton  examined  by — 

Ric:  Welles  Tho:  Shawe  CI:  pa: 

Tobias  Tenche  William  Berrington 

Jo:  Hancocke." 

The  Ralph  Hassall  above  alluded  to  (who  was  baptised  at  Sandbach  on  tlic  6th  March, 
1581-2),  after  the  division  of  his  estates  as  above  narrated,  by  deed  dated  lOth  Jan.  1623-4  sokl 
the  manor  of  Hassall  to  his  uncle,  William  Leversage,  of  Wheelock,  Esq.,  and  appears  to  have 
gone  to  live  with  him  at  Wheelock,  for  the  latter  in  his  will,  proved  in  163S  {si^e  p.  100), 
describes  him  as  Ralph  Hassall,  of  Wheelock,  Esq.,  and  desires  that  "  my  loving  nephew  the 
said  Ralph  Hassall  "  was  "  to  have  the  chamber  [at  Wheelock  Hall]  wherein  he  now  usual!}- 
lyeth,  for  his  life  and  I  give  him  my  best  horse  and  .^10  to  buy  him  a  ringe  and  the  choice  of 
all  my  English  books  to  take  so  many  as  he  pleaseth."  He  died  without  issue,  and  was  buried, 
at  Sandbach  on  the  8th  July,  (657. 

His  half-brother,  William  Hassall,  of  Hankelow,  gent.,  who  is  described  as  a  "  Commissary 
to  Lord  Byron"  in  1644,  married  Frances,  fourth  daughter  of  George  Cotton,  of  Combernierc, 
Esq.,  and  had  issue  a  son,  Thomas,  who  died  without  surviving  issue,  and  two  daughters,  JMary 
and  Jane,  who  were  co-hciresscs  to  their  brother.  The  pedigree  on  the  next  two  pages,  based 
upon  those  in  Harl.  MSS.  2,161  and  1,535,  traces  the  Hassall  family,  as  well  as  is  possible,  in 
the  absence  of  the  early  deeds. 

The  manor  of  Hassall,  after  its  purchase  by  William  Leversage,  of  Wheelock,  Esq.,  passed 
with  Wheelock  into  the  possession  of  Thomas  Stephens,  as  already  described,  and  in  1724  was 

>  I  should  infer  from  absence  here  of  the  usual  words,  "his  heirs  and  assigns,"  which  are  duly  inserted  in  the  case  uf 
William  Hassall,  that  for  some  reason  or  other  it  was  clear  that  Ralph  Hassall  would  not  niarr)-,  and  that  this  may 
have  been  an  additional  reason  for  this  division  of  his  paternal  estates.  This  is  strengthened  by  other  references  to  him 
from  time  to  time. 


ii8 


SAXDBACII. 


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SANDBACH. 


sold   separately,  and  appears   to  have  been  purchased  by  Mr.  Richard   Lowndes,  who,  as  will 
subsequently  be  shown,  had  then  a  small  estate  in  this  township. 

In  1666  the  following  were  the  names  of  the  chief  owners  of  lands  in  this  township'^: — 
Thomas  Stephens,  of  Wheelock,  Esq.,  lord  [of  the  manor]  ;  Hassall  Hall,  a/ias  Little  Hassall 
[Hall],  Mr.  William  Wilde  [/.6-.  Weld]  ;  John  Lown[d]es,  Thomas  Podmore,  Thomas  Turner. 

Little  H.V.^s.vll  IIall,  in  this  township,  was  for  several  generations  the  property  of  the 
Weld  famil}-.  JoilX  Wf.LD  (-^on  and  heir  of  John  Weld,  of  Eaton,  in  Edisbury  Hundred) 
married  Anne,  daughter  ^f  John  Barlow,  of  Newbold  Astbury,  and  came  to  live  in  this  part  of 
Cheshire.  He  died  in  1623,  and  his  son  and  heir,  JOHN  Weld,  who  is  described  as  "of  S'  Giles 
London,"  became  the  owner  of  Little  Hassall  Hall.  He  married  Eleanor,  daughter  of  William 
Lcversage,  of  Wheelock,  Esq.,  by  whom  he  had  three  sons  and  four  daughters.  The  date  of 
his  death  has  not  occurred,  but  his  widow  was  buried  at  Sandbach  on  the  6th  April,  1664.  In 
her  will,  dated  29th  Januar}-,  1663-4,  she  describes  herself  as  Eleanor  Weld,  of  Congleton,  widow, 
and  leaves  man)'  legacies  to  her  children  and  grandchildren.  Her  second  son,  John  Weld 
pied  unmarried  in  1688,  and  was  buried  at  Sandbach  on  the  23rd  October  in  that  year.  In 
his  will  he  describes  himself  as  "John  Welde  of  Hassall  co  Chester  gentleman,"  and  states  that 
"  as  for  the  five  pieces  of  broad  gold  I  have  by  me  I  give  to  my  deare  sister  in  lawe  Mar>' 
Welde,  the  Jacobus  piece,  and  the  best  of  the  other  pieces  she  can  chuse,  and  the  next  best 
]5iece  to  ni}-  deare  sister  Jane  Lowndes,  and  the  next  to  my  deare  sister  Elizabeth  Whittingham, 
and  the  last  to  my  deare  sister  Anne  Welde."  "  To  mj-  dear  brother  William  Weld  my  chest 
and  all  my  bookes,"  and  he  appoints  him  and  "  my  nephew  M''  Thomas  Whittingham,  the 
younger,  now  parson  of  Brereton,"  his  executors. 

William  Weld,  the  eldest  son  of  John  and  Eleanor  Weld,  was  buried  at  Sandbach  on  the 
23rd  April,  1703,  his  wife  Mary,  who  predeceased  him,  being  buried  there  on  the  12th  March 
1702-3.  His  will  is  dated  12th  Sept.  1699,  and  he  describes  himself  as  "William  Weld,  of 
Little  Hassall,  in  the  parish  of  Sandbach,  co.  Chester,  gentleman."  He  bequeathed  all  his 
messuages,  lands,  &c.,  in  Hassall,  Newbold  Astbury,  and  Congleton,  to  his  wife  for  her  life, 
and  left  her  all  his  personalit)-,  and  he  adds  that  after  her  death  : — "  I  give  and  bequeath  all 
my  said  messuages,  lands,  &c.,  to  Richard  Lowndes,  the  younger,  of  Hassall,  son  and  heir  of 
Richard  Lowndes,  my  nephew,  of  Hassall,  aforesaid,  and  to  his  heirs  for  ever,  subject, 
ncN'ertheless,  to  the  yearly  paj-ments  herein  after  mentioned."  These  were  as  follows : — 
"To  my  sister,  Anne  Weld,  £\o  ;  to  my  nephew,  AL  Thomas  Whittingham,  rector  of  Brereton 
i^io;  to  my  nephew,  William  Whittingham,  £^  ;  to  my  niece,  Anne  Wliittingham,  ^5,  if  she 
do  not  marry  John  Swaine  ;  to  Elizabeth  Whittingham,  daughter  to  William  Whittingham, 
;^5  ;  to  my  nephew,  Charles  Lowndes,  the  elder,  ;{^5  ;  to  his  brother,  W'illiam  Lowndes,  my 
godson,  £•,  ;  to  my  godson,  William  Walker,  ;^5  ;  to  John  Lowndes,  brother  of  the  said 
Richard,  /.  5  ;  to  Richard  Lowndes,  the  elder,  father  of  the  said  Richard  Lowndes,  the  j-ounger, 
/.5."  To  the  poor  of  the  parish  of  Sandbach  he  bequeathed  £.20.  The  in\entory  of  his  goods 
was  taken  25th  April,  1705,  and  included  /'136  "  monej-  in  his  purse,"  and  "  the  remainder  of  a 
termc  of  \-eares  of  and  in  a  messuage  and  certain  lands  and  premises  scituate  in  Sandbach," 
which  was  valued  at  .£'100.  In  "  the  parlour  at  Hassall  "  are  mentioned  "  four  stooles  covered, 
one  couch  covered,  one  chequer  board  and  one  frame  with  coats  of  armes,"  and  also  "  pictures, 
mapps  and  eschoyns  "  [.'  escutcheons]. 

»  ILiii.  MS.  2,010. 


HASSALL   TOWNSHIP. 


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LOWNDES   OF   BOSTOCK    HOUSE. 


123 


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124  SANDBACH. 


Two  of  the  sisters  of  this  William  Weld  died  unmarried,  the  one,  Mary  Weld,  being 
buried  at  Sandbach,  29th  April,  1673,  and  the  other,  Anne  Weld,  who  lived  at  Brereton,  dying 
in  1 70S.  In  the  will  of  the  former  she  leaves  legacies  to  her  sisters  and  her  nephews  and 
nieces.  In  that  of  the  latter,  dated  25th  Nov.  1703,  she  describes  herself  then  as  "Anne 
Weldc,  of  Sandbach,  spinster,"  but  from  the  codicil,  dated  2Sth  April,  1707,  she  appears  to 
have  been  then  living  at  Brereton.  She  mentions  many  relations,  as  shown  in  the  Weld 
pedigree,  and  bequeathed  £20  to  the  poor  of  Sandbach,  and  ^5  to  the  poor  of  Brereton. 
The  pedigree  on  page  121  traces  the  Weld  family  for  three  generations,  and  shows  those 
members  of  the  allied  families  of  Lowndes  and  Whittingham,  who  are  mentioned  from  time 
to  time  in  the  various  Weld  wills,  &c. 

Another  estate  in  this  township,  known  as  BoSTOCK  Hou.SE,  was  so  called  from  a  family 
of  that  name  who  owned  it  in  the  sixteenth  century.  On  the  30th  Aug.  23  Elizabeth  [1581],  the 
Inquisition /('.iV  inovtctii  of  Hugh  Bostock,  of  Moreton  Say,  co.  Salop,  Esq.,  states  that  he  died 
seised  of  certain  lands  and  tenements  in  Hattersall  (or  Hassall)  held  of  the  lord  of  Hassall 
in  socage,  and  worth  per  annum  £1.  6s.  8d.  From  the  Bostocks  this  estate  passed,  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  sixteenth  or  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  centur}%  to  the  LowNDES  family. 
William  Lownds,  "of  Sandbach,  carrier,"  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  7th  June,  1592.  By  his  will, 
dated  31st  May  in  that  year,  he  gives  "his  right,  title  and  interest  which  I  have  and  hold  by 
the  force  of  one  lease  taken  of  the  Worshipfull  M'  Raphe  Hassall  Esquier"  to  his  wife  Ellen, 
towards  the  better  education  of  his  children.  He  continues  : — "  M}'  debts  being  paid,  my 
legacies  and  bequeths  {sic)  discharged  and  /  brought  homc^  [out]  of  the  whole  [of]  my  goods," 
the  residue  was  to  go  to  his  wife.  To  Richard  Lownds,  his  brother,  he  bequeathed  "his  best 
hatt,  best  Jerkine  and  best  ne^'ther  stocks"  [nether  stockings  .'],  and  to  his  brother,  Thomas 
Lownds,  "his  buck  skyne  hosen."  His  eldest  surviving  son,  Richard  Lowndes,  who  is 
called  "of  Bostock  House,  co.  Chester,  gent.,"  in  1648,  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  23rd  April, 
1652.  He  was  twice  married,  but  his  issue  by  his  first  wife  died  young.  JOHN  LowNDES,  the 
wnh-  child  of  the  second  marriage  (baptised  at  Sandbach,  24th  April,  1625),  married  Jane, 
daughter  of  John  Weld,  of  Little  Hassall,  gent.,  by  whom  he  had  a  family  of  six  sons  and 
four  daughters.  He  was  buried  at  Sandbach  on  the  20th  May,  1667,  his  wife,  who  survived  him 
for  many  years,  being  buried  at  Worthcnbury,  co.  Flint,  in  Februar)-,  1690-1.  In  her  will, 
dated  isth  Jul}',  1690,  she  describes  herself  as  "Jane  Lowndes,  of  Checkley,  co.  Chester, 
widow."  Their  eldest  son,  RiCH.VRD  LoWNDES,  "of  Bostock  House,  gent.,"  as  he  was  called 
in  1684,  was  buried  at  Sandbach  14th  Jan.  1709-10.  His  son  and  heir,  RICHARD  LowNDES, 
by  the  will  of  his  great  uncle,  William  Weld,  of  Little  Hassall,  dated  I2th  Sept.  1699,  and 
proved  12th  June,  1705,  succeeded  to  that  estate.  He  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  30th  Aug. 
1744,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  eldest  son,  RICHARD  LowNDES,  who  was  baptised  at  Sandbach, 
Sth  April,  1703.  He  was  buried  there,  28th  March,  175  i,  leaving  two  daughters,  co-heiresses^ 
Jaiic  Loiciidcs,  who  married  Mr.  William  Penlington,  M.D.,  and  xliin  Lowndes,  who  married 
Edward  Salmon,  of  Nantwich,  Esq.  The  pedigree  on  pages  122-3  gives  the  descent  of  this 
family  and  the  younger  children  more  in  detail  than  could  be  done  in  the  text.  The  history 
of  this  family  has  recently  received  investigation  at  the  hands  of  G.  B.  Chase,  Esq.,  who 
has    printed  the    results   of  his    searches  in  the  "  New   England   Historical  and   Genealogical 

This  is  a  quaint  expression,  wliich  I  have  met  with  in  several  Lancashire  and  Cheshire  wills  of  the  sixteenth  and 
seventeenth  century.  It  here  stands  simply  for  "  buried,"  but  in  some  instances,  where  the  word  "  forth  bringing  "  is  used, 
it  appears  to  mean  the  funeral  ceremony  as  distinct  from  the  burial. 


HASSALL  TOWNSHIP. 


Register,"  a  few  copies  of  his  paper  being  reprinted  at  Boston  in  1876.'"  The  evidence  is  not 
quite  complete,  but  there  seem  good  grounds  for  believing  that  Charles  Lowndes,  the  ancestor 
of  the  distinguished  American  family  of  that  name,  was,  as  shown  in  the  pedigree,  a  direct 
descendant  of  John  Lowndes,  of  Bostock  House,  who  died  in  1667. 

Hassall  Hall  is  a  gabled  house,  which  has  been  much  altered  in  modern  times.  It  is 
picturesquely  situated  on  high  ground  and  is  surrounded  by  fine  trees.  There  are  fish-ponds 
and  an  old  dove-cot  near  it.  In  the  walled  kitchen -garden  is  a  flower-garden,  enclosed  within 
a  very  thick  yew  hedge,  which  is  12  to  15  feet  in  thickness  and  from  12  to  14  feet  in  height. 
One  room  in  the  Hall  is  panelled  all  round,  and  has  a  panelled  ceiling.  Another  room  is 
panelled  half  way  to  the  ceiling,  and  there  is  an  old  oak  staircase.  There  is  a  little  old- 
fashioned  furniture  and  a  few  old  portraits  still  in  the  Hall,  which  is,  however,  now  used  as  a 
farm-house.  When  Mr.  Richard  Lowndes  purchased  the  Hall,  about  1744,  it  is  said  of  him 
that  "  he  built  new  garden  walls,  new  fronted  the  Hall,  and  went  to  live  there.""  It  now 
belongs,  I  believe,  to  a  Miss  Baxter,  of  Wavertree,  near  Liverpool,  who  succeeded  to  it  on  the 
death  of  Miss  Reddall,  in  April,  1877. 

Bostock  Hou.se  is  a  gabled  brick  building,  now  used  as  a  farm-house.  It  is  surrounded 
by  a  moat,  which  is  still  perfect  on  three  sides.  There  is  an  old  yew-tree  near  the  house.  At 
the  division  of  Mr.  Lowndes'  property  between  his  two  daughters,  "  Mr.  Penlington  had 
Bostock  House,  and  Mr.  Salmon  had  Hassall  Hall  and  two  other  farms.  The  Hall  has  been 
sold  to  Walter  Daniels,  who  now  lives  in  it."" 

William  Lowndes,  Esq.,  commenced  to  build  a  church  near  the  Hall  in  1S36,  but  on 
his  death,  in  183S,  the  idea  was  given  up,  and  the  building  was  never  completed. 

'"  This  is  entitled  "  Lowndes  of  South  Carolina.  An  Historical  and  Genealogical  Memoir.  By  George  B.  Chase,  A.M. 
Harv.  '  Nothing  can  we  call  our  own,  except  our  Dead.'  Boston  :  A.  Williams  and  Company.  1S76."  Royal  octavo,  pp.  Si, 
portrait  facing  title-page.  Mr.  Chase  kindly  sent  me  a  copy  of  this  carefully  worked-out  memoir,  which  contains  so  much 
information  relating  to  Cheshire  families. 

"  Letter  from  Mr.  Stephen  Stringer  of  Wheelock,  dated  26th  April,  1S09.     (Add.  MSS.  9,415  f.  262,  British  Museum.) 


126 


SANDBACH. 


Jl'nwbirs  of  ijinatoall. 


(Biaftrlil  Df  UmtfiDall. 


llntljam  o(  UrnOtuan. 


313ratitoaU  CoiDiisiIjip. 


[IIS  township  is  not  mentioned  in  the  Domesday  Survc}-,  and  it  has  been  suggested 
that  at  that  time  it  was  probably  uncultivated  moor-land,  which  subsequently 
formed  part  of  the  barony  of  Kindcrton.  In  the  Kinderton  Chartulary,  copied 
b\-  Sir  Peter  Leycester  in  volume  H  of  his  MSS.,  now  at  Tabley  House,  near 
Knutsford,  is  a  charter  by  which  Hugh  de  Venables,  of  Kinderton  grants  to 
Hugh  his  son,  "  the  manor  of  Bradwall  and  all  the  land  which  I  have  of  the  gift 
of  John  le  Ward  in  Sprouston  together  with  a  salt-pan  [c-ia/i  sa/ino)  in  Middlewich  which  John 
le  Ward  formerly  held,"  at  the  annual  rental  of  a  pair  of  white  gloves.  The  witnesses  to 
this  deed  are  Sir  (dno)  Ralph  de  Vernon,  Sir  {dfio)  Hamo  de  Masci,  Sir  {duo)  William  de 
Hrercton,  William  de  Baggeleigh,  William  de  Venables,  and  Richard  de  Foulcshurst,  then 
sheriff  of  Cheshire,  which  position  he  filled  in  1308,  which  accordingly  fixes  the  date  of  this 
deed.  A  icw  }-ears  later  in  the  19  Edward  III.,  1345,  Hugh  dc  Venables,  of  Kinderton, 
granted  to  William  de  \"enables,  his  son,"  and  Matilda,  his  wife,  the  manors  of  Bradwall,  and 
Newton  in  Wirrall,  but  as  they  died  without  issue  these  manors  reverted  to  Hugh,  and  are 
mentioned  in  his  In(]uisiti(jn /w7  viortcin  taken  41  Edward  III.,  1367. 


"  Kinderton   Chartulary,  Tabley  MS.  H,   Deed  No.  104.     The  witnesses  to   this  deed  were  John  de  Ardern,  John  de 
Davenport,  knights,  Thomas  de  Dulton,  John  de  Wetenhall,  and  Robert  del  Holt. 


BRADWALL   TOWNSHIP. 


In  the  early  Inquisitions  post  mortem  of  the  Venables  family  the  manor  of  Bradwall 
does  not  appear  to  be  specifically  mentioned,  but  certain  lands  and  tenements  there,  described 
as  1 6  messuages,  200  acres  of  land,  and  20  acres  of  wood  are  referred  to.  But  in  tin- 
Inquisition  of  Sir  Thomas  Venables,  knt.,  taken  6  Elizabeth  [1564],  and  in  those  of  Sir 
Thomas  Venables,  knt.,  23  Elizabeth  [1581],  and  Thomas  Venables,  Esq.,  4  James  [1606], 
the  manor  of  Bradwall  is  duly  named  amongst  their  other  wide-spread  possessions  in 
Cheshire. 

But  although  the  Venables  of  Kinderton  remained  manorial  lords  of  Bradwall,  the)-  had 
parted  with  the  whole  of  the  township  in  moieties,  early  in  the  thirteenth  centur_\'.  One 
moiety  was  granted  to  a  family,  the  members  of  which  took  the  local  name  of  Bradwall, 
and  the  other  was  granted  to  a  younger  branch  of  the  family  of  Venables,  known  subse- 
quently as  Venables  of  Bradwall.  The  grant  to  the  former  must  have  been  before  1232, 
for  from  a  deed  copied  in  Harleian  MS.  2,007,  f  155,  there  was  a  dispute  in  that  }'ear 
between  Sir  William  de  Venables,  baron  of  Kinderton,  and  Reginald,  son  of  Richard  de 
Bradwall,  in  which  it  is  stated  that  the  said  Reginald  then  held  the  half  of  the  vill  or 
township  of  Bradwall  of  the  said  William.  In  deeds  of  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth 
centuries  relating  to  this  part  of  Cheshire,  several  of  which  are  copied  in  the  Harleian 
MS.  2,007  (in  the  British  Museum)  already  referred  to,  there  are  references  to  members 
of  the  Bradwai.I.  family,  who  are  also  occasionally  mentioned  on  the  Cheshire  Plea  Rolls. 
The  Richard  de  Bradwall,  referred  to  in  the  above  document,  had,  it  is  said,  a  }-oungcr 
son,  who  was  called  Thomas  de  Helleworth  or  Ehvorth,''  from  the  estate  of  that  name, 
which  lies  partly  in  this  and  partly  in  Sandbach  township,  given  him  by  his  father.  A  later 
Richard  de  Bradwall,  living  in  1335,  married  a  daughter  of  Thomas  de  Sandbach,  and  had 
three  daughters,  his  co-heirs  :  Margery,  married  to  Randle  de  Brunlegh  ;  Alice,  married  to 
John,  son  of  Alan  de  Becheton  ;  and  Ellen,  married  to  John  Shakelok."^  Most  of  the  lands 
held  by  the  Bradwalls  appear  to  have  been  parted  with  to  Hugh,  son  of  Hugh  de  Venables, 
of  Kinderton,  and  so  came  back  to  the  descendants  of  the  original  grantor.  A  pedigree 
of  the  family  of  Bradwall,  of  Bradwall,  coming  down  to  about  the  year  1370,  will  be  found 
in  Ormerod's  History  of  Cheshire  (new  edition,  vol.  iij.,  p.  no),  and  it  is  there  stated 
that  "  the  seat  of  the  Bradwalls  is  supposed  to  have  been  on  the  western  side  of  the 
township,  within  a  moated  parallelogram,  yet  retaining  the  name  of  the  Hallfield.  In 
front  of  this  was  the  site  of  a  large  pool,  which  has  been  recently  [1819]  restored  to  its 
original  purposes,  a  deep  valley,  watered  by  a  small  brook,  and  a  rising  ground  which  is 
called  the  Hollins-wood  in  deeds  of  early  date.  The  situation  was  fortunate  in  combininL; 
with  this  variety  of  surface  a  view  to  the  westward,  which,  notwithstanding  the  general 
flatness  of  the  surrounding  district,  extended  to  the  remotest  part  of  the  county." 

The  other  moiety  of  Bradwall  was  granted  to  a  younger  branch  of  the  Venables  family 
as  shown  by  the  following  deeds.  William,  the  son  and  heir  of  the  lord  Roger  de  Venables 
granted  to  Hugh,  son  of  the  lord  William  de  Venables,  the  half  of  the  whole  vill  of  Bradwall, 

''  But  as  shown  under  Ehvorth,  on  p.  Sg,  from  the  old  deeds  examined  by  John  Booth  of  Twemlow,  the  genealogist,  it 
would  appear  that  it  was  Wilham,  son  of  Richard  de  Bradwall,  who  granted  Ehvorth  to  his  son  Ralph,  who  took  the  name  of 
Ralph  de  Elworth. 

'  Mention  of  other  and  later  members  of  the  family  of  Bradwall  will  be  found  in  Ormerod's  Cheshire,  in  the  accounts  of 
Church  Coppenhall  and  Wistanston.  .Some  interesting  early  deeds  relating  to  Bradwall.  and  to  the  family  of  Br.idttall,  art- 
printed  in  the  Gentleman  s  Magazine  for  .\pril,  1S20,  contributed  by  Mr.  John  Bowen,  of  Shrewsbur)',  from  the  original  deerls 
then  in  his  possession. 


128  SANDBACH. 


for  his  life,  paying  yearly  a  pair  of  white  gloves,  these  being  witnesses  :  Sir  {duo)  Reginald 
dc  Grey,  then  Justiciary  of  Chester,  the  lords  [dnis]  Urian  de  St.  Pierre,  Thomas  de  Button, 
Gcoffrc)'  of  the  same,  Roger  Dom\ille,  knights,  Robert  de  Huxlc}-,  John  de  Wetenhall, 
Richard  Starkic,  Alan  dc  Lymm,  Adam  de  Hatton,  Robert  de  Merburi,  Randle  de  Morton, 
Robert  de  W'inington,  and  others.''  As  Reginald  de  Grey  was  Justiciary  of  Chester  i  and  2 
I'ldward  I.,  the  date  of  this  grant  is  fixed  at  about  the  }-ear  1273.  A  few  years  later  William 
dc  \'cnablcs,  lord  of  Kindcrton,  granted  to  William,  his  son,  all  the  land  which  he  had  in  the 
vill  or  township  of  Bradwall,  reserving  to  himself  the  right  of  clearing  or  assarting  the  waste 
land  there,  &c.  The  witnesses  to  this  charter  were  Peter  de  Ardern,  W^arine  de  Manwaring, 
Ralph  de  Vernon,  Hamo  de  Masci,  Hugh  de  Button,  Richard  de  Masci,  knights  ;  Robert 
Grosvenor,  then  Sheriff  of  Cheshire,  and  others.  As  the  latter  was  Sheriff  from  1284  to  1287, 
the  date  of  this  grant  is  fixed  as  between  these  \'ears.<^  Sir  Hugh  de  Venables,  the  next  baron 
of  Kinderton,  subscqucntl}'  granted  to  Hugh  de  Venables,  his  nephew  [ncpoti  mco),  the  moiety 
of  the  vill  of  Bradwall,  "in  the  same  manner  as  the  lord  William  my  brother  well  and  freely 
held  it,"  the  witnesses  being  W'arin  de  Vernon,  William  dc  \'ernon,  Richard  de  Sandbach, 
knights  ;  Richard  dc  K}-ngcslegh,  and  others.' 

Sir  William  Venables,  of  Bradwall,  knt.,  as  he  afterwards  became,  the  first  of  that 
family,  who  was  settled  at  Bradwall,  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Agnes,  daughter 
and  heir  of  Richard  de  Legh,  of  the  West  Hall,  High  Legh,  co.  Chester  (and  the  widow 
rcspectivel)-  of  Richard  de  Lymme  and  William  de  Hawarden),  by  whom  he  had  one  son,  who 
took  his  mother's  name  and  as  John  de  Legh,  was  the  ancestor  of  the  Leghs  of  Booths  and 
other  families  of  that  name.  His  second  wife  was  Katherine,  daughter  of  Sir  Urian  de  St. 
Pierre,  and  the  widow  of  Sir  Randle  Ic  Roter,  knt.,  of  Thornton,  by  whom  he  had  issue.  His 
eldest  son  and  heir-apparent  Hugh  Venables,  to  whom  his  uncle  had  confirmed  the  moiety  of 
Bradwall,  as  before  mentioned,  seems  to  have  died  without  issue,  and  WiLLlAM  Vexables,  of 
Bradwall,  succeeded  his  father,  who  appears  to  have  died  about  the  year  13 12.  This  William, 
like  his  father,  is  occasional!}-  mentioned  in  deeds  and  other  records  of  the  early  part  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  and  in  1336  he  occurs  as  leader  of  the  tenants  of  the  Abbey  of  Vale  Royal, 
in  Cheshire,  in  the  fighting  which  took  place  between  them  and  the  Abbot  and  his  servants." 
B\-  his  wife  Katherine,  daughter  and  heir  of  Robert  Ic  Grosvenor,  of  Little  Budworth,  co. 
Chester,  he  had  three  daughters  and  co-heirs,  as  shown  b)-  the  following  Inquisition  post 
mortem  : — 

Inquisition /w/  mortem  taken  the  36th  Edward  III.  [1362J.  William  de  Venables  of  Bradewall, 
CO.  Chester,  died  seised  of  messuages  and  lands  in  Little  Budworth  and  Kelsall  and  of  seven  messuages 
and  100  acres  of  land  in  Bradewall.  He  was  also  enfeoffed  with  Joan  his  wife  [she  \\as  his  second  wife] 
of  one  messuage  and  120  acres  of  land  in  the  townships  of  Bradewall  and  Sprouston.  The  lands  in 
r.radewall  were  held  of  Sir  Hugh  de  Venables,  of  Kinderton,  knt.,  by  knight's  service  and  by  the  service 
of  appearing  twice  in  his  court  at  Kinderton,  the  same  being  worth  _£3.  6s.  Sd.  per  a/u/um.  His  next  of' 
kin  and  co-heirs  were  Ellen,  Keittierine,  zx\i\  Joan,  who  were  all  of  full  age  at  the  time  of  taking  this  Inqui- 
sition. 

''   Kinderton  Chartu]ary,  Tabley  MSS.,  Liber  II,  No.  43. 
'  Kinderton  Charlulary,  Tabley  MSS.,  Liber  II,  No.  49. 

'  Ihid.^ibid.  Xo.  61.     Thi.s  deed  is  also  copied  in  Ilarl.  MS.  2074,  and  was  enrolled  at  Chester  on  the  Cheshire  Plea  Rolls 
ir.  157S,  when  the  original  was  in  the  possession  of  William  Bo\yyer,  of  Knypersley,  co.  Stafford. 

8  An  account  of  this  disturbance  is  given  in  Ornierod's  History  0/  Cltcsliire  in  the  account  of  the  Abbey  of  Vale  Royal. 


BRADWALL  TOWNSHIP. 


129 


^'riiablrsf  of  iiralilunlL 


Sir  William  de  Venaiiles, 

Knt.,  Baron  of  Kindeilon. 

Living  20  Edw.  I.  [1292], 

but  dead  in  1293. 


Margaret,  dau. 


Authorities :  Old  pedi- 
of  Sir  Thomas  de     j^^ees,  Cheshire  Plea  and 

Dulton,  Lord  of      -S  .  -n    1,       „ 

Diitton,  Knt.        Recognizance  Rolls,  lVc. 


Living  a  wido 
1293 


Sir  Hu£;h 

Sir  William    =? 

Venables,  Knt., 

Venables, 

Baron  of 

of  Bradwal!,  Knt. 

Kinderton, 

Second  son. 

son  and  heir. 

Living  1296 

% 

and  1312. 

Ve.n'ables,  Barons 

OF  Kinderton. 

Agnes,  dau.  and 

heir  of  I-iichard  de 

Legh,  of  the  West 

Hall,  High  Legh, 

widow  of  Richard 

de  Lj'mme  and 

of  William  de 

H  award  en 

{first  -..nfe). 


-  Katiierine,  dau. 

of  .Sir  Urian  de 

St.  Pierre,  Knt., 

widow  of  Sir  Randle 

le  Roter,  Knt., 

Lord  of  Thornton. 

.She  was  living 

1296  and  1313 

ysctoiid  -uife). 


John  de  Legh, 
who  took  his 
mother's  maiden 
name,  and  was 
ancestor  of  the 
Leghs  of  Booths, 

and  other 

families  of  that 

name. 


Hugh 
Venables, 
eldest  son. 
?  Died  s.p. 


Arms:  Azure  two  bars  Argent,  in 
chief  two  plates. 

Crest:  A  wyvern,  with  wings  en- 
dorsed Argent,  pierced  with  an 
arrow  headed  Or  and  feathered 
Argent,  devouring  a  child  proper. 
[Sometimes  depicted  standing  on 
a  weir.  J 


William 
Venables, 
of  Bradwall, 
second  son. 
Living  1313, 
1329-  1341, 

1357. 

/«</.  P.M. 

36  Edw.  HL, 

1362. 


:  Katherine,  =  Joan,  dau. 

dau.  and  heir       of 

of  Robert  le         

Grosvenor,  of 

Little 

Budworth 

(first  ,v,fA. 


Living  1366 

(second  K  ifc). 


Joan  Venables, 

dau.  and  co-heir. 

Marr.  before  1362  to 

Thomas  de  Berynton, 

of  Moresbarrow, 

and  had  issue.     ^ 

Berington  of  Bradwall, 


Kathcrine  Venables, 

dau.  and  co-heir. 

Marr.  William  de 

Bechinton  or  Betchton. 

Unmarried  1362. 


A 


Ellen  Venables, 

dau.  and  co-heir. 

Marr.  Robert  de 

Knyperslegh. 

Living  a  widow  1362 

A 


\ViLLL\M  Venables'  three  daughters  and  co-heiresses,  as  above  described,  were  EUoi 
who  married  Robert  de  Knypersley,  and  was  living  a  widow  in  1362  ;  Kathcrine,  who 
married  William  de  Bechinton  or  Betchton,  and  who  appears  to  have  died  without  issue  ; 
and  Joan,  who  married  Thomas  de  Berynton  or  Berington,  of  Moresborough,  now  Moorsbarrow. 
The  Bradwall  estate  appears  to  have  been  divided  between  Joan  and  her  sister  Ellen,  and 
the  two  moieties  were  subsequently  united  by  William  Berington,  a  descendant  of  Thomas 
and  Joan,  buying  up  the  share  of  William  Bowyer,  of  Knypersley,  the  representative  of  the 
old  Knj-persley  family. 

The  Berington  family,  as  shown  in  the  accompanj-ing  pedigree,  based  on  one  contained 
in  Hart.  MS.  2,038,  f  95,  was  originally  settled  in  the  neighbouring  township  of  Moorsbarrow, 
in  the  parish  of  Middlewich,  the  earliest  known  ancestor  being  Matt/ici>.'  dc  Berynton,  who  was 
living  3  Edward  I.,  1275.  His  son,  Randic  de  Berynton,  by  his  deed,  dated  on  the  Friday  next 
after  Easter,  i  Edward  HI.,  1327,  covenanted  with  Richard  Vernon,  rector  of  Stockport,  that 
Jo/in  de  Berynton,  his  son  and  heir,  should  marry  Agatha,  daughter  of  Thomas  Vernon,  brother 
to  the  said  Richard."  THO^L■\S  DE  Bervnton,  the  eldest  son  of  this  marriage,  married  Joan 
Venables,  and  was  living  in  1361  and  in  139S,  in  which  year  he  was  indicted  for  a  trespass,  one 
of  his  sureties  being  Thomas  le  Harper.''  His  son  and  heir,  WiLLlAM  DE  Beryngton,  is  called 
"of  Bradwall,"   in    1405,  and  in    1418    was    appointed  a  collector  of  a  subsidy  in  Northwich 

=  Harl.  MS.  2,038,  f.  94.''  '■   Clieshire  Recognizance  Rolls. 


SANDBACH. 


Hundred.'"  In  1420  his  name  occurs  on  the  Cheshire  Plea  Rolls  as  a  party  to  a  fine  levied 
between  him  and  Robert  de  \edeham,  relating  to  6  messuages,  100  acres  of  land,  20  acres  of 
meadow,  20  acres  of  pasture,  10  acres  of  wood,  and  20  acres  of  moor  in  Bradwall.''  His  name 
occurs  frequently -on  the  Cheshire  Recognisance  Rolls  between  143 1  and  1436,  during  which  time 
he  appears  to  have  been  involved  in  disputes  with  his  neighbours,  Alured  de  Radclilif,  Richard 
dc  Whcclock,  and  others,  his  sureties  being  Hugh  Venables  of  Kinderton,  Richard  de  Bulkeley 
I  if  Chcadlc,  Thomas  dc  Croxtoii,  Robert  de  Nedeham,  Hugh  de  Ravenscroft,  and  many  others. 
foilN  DE  Bervngton,  his  son  and  heir,  also  occurs  from  1434  to  1437.  This  John,  who 
married  Agnes,  daughter  of  Richard  Sandbach,  of  Sandbach,  appears  to  have  died  without 
issue,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  brother  Henry,  or  by  the  latter's  son  and  heir,  William.  In 
the  16  Edward  IV.,  1476,  an  indenture  was  made  between  Margery  Beryngton,  the  widow  of 
WiUiam  Beryngton,  and  WiUiam,  son  of  Henry  Beryngton,  by  which  she  received  a  yearly  rent 
in  place  of  her  dower. 

This  W'lLLl.VM  Beringtox,  who  was  appointed  a  collector  of  a  subsidy  in  Northwich 
Hundred  in  1489  and  1 504,  marrictl  Margaret,  daughter  of  Richard  Penkcth,  of  Penketh,  co. 
Lane,  which  probabl)-  accounts  for  Randle  or  Ralph  Penketh  being  Vicar  of  Sandbach  from 
1465  to  1 48 1.  By  an  indenture  made  5  Henry  VIII.,  15 13,  between  William  Berington,  of 
Bradwall,  and  William,  his  son  and  heir  apparent,  on  the  one  part,  and  William  Rawne  or 
Raven,  of  Newbold  Astbury,  on  the  other  part,  it  was  covenanted  that  whereas  George 
Berington,  son  and  heir  apparent  of  the  said  William  Berington,  the  son,  had  married  Alice, 
daughter  of  the  said  William  Raven,  tlie  said  William,  the  father,  and  William,  the  son,  agree 
to  make  a  sufficient  estate  of  certain  lands  to  the  use  of  the  said  George  and  Alice  for  their 
lives.'^  George  Berington,  of  Bradwall,  gent.,  was  a  party  to  an  indenture  made  ^t, 
Ilcnry  VIll.  [1541]  in  consideration  of  a  marriage  already  solemnised  between  William,  his 
son  and  heir,  and  Mlizabcth,  his  wife,  daughter  of  William  Bowyer,  of  Knypersley,  co.  Stafford, 
gent.''  This  marriage  must  have  taken  place  in  or  before  1535,  in  which  year  William  Raven,  of 
Xcwbold,  granted  to  this  William  Berington  (son  and  heir  apparent  of  George)  and  Elizabeth, 
iiis  wife,  a  messuage  in  Bradwall  and  certain  lands  there,  then  in  the  tenure  of  Ralph  Hope,  to 
which  deed,  William  Beryngton  of  Bradewall,  Rondell  Rawne  of  Elworth,  Sir  Richard 
Malkyn,  clerk,  and  others  were  witnesses.-  This  WiLLIAM  BERINGTON  had  an  only  daughter 
and  heiress,  Helen,  who  occurs  with  him  in  a  fine  levied  28  Feb.,  11  Elizabeth  [1569],  relating 
to  the  manor  of  Bradwall,  and  of  lands,  tenements,  rents,  &c.,  in  Bradwall,  Sandbach,  Arclid, 
Brereton,  Ilulmc,  Hollins,  and  Warmincham.''  Philip  Oldfield,  junior,  who  was  also  a  party  to 
this  fine,  was  then  married  to  Helen  Berington,  and  it  is  probable  that  this  estate  was  then 
con\cved  to  him,  and  that  he  took  up  his  abode  there  shortly  afterwards.  In  1588  the  following 
entry  in  the  Sandbach  Register  records  the  burial  of  Helen's  mother: — "  Elizabetha  Berynton 
u.K'  W""  Berington  nupcr  de  Bradwall  generosi,  sepulta  xv'"  die  ffebruarii  "  [15S8-9],  and  a  few 

'   Chcsltirc  Recognizance  Rolls. 

''  The  John  lie  Beryngton  who  occurs  in  the  Cheshire  Recognizance  Rolls  in  the  4  Henry  IV.,  1402,  with  William  de 
Ccton,  Thomas  del  Shagh,  Robert  del  .Shagh,  and  many  others,  as  having  been  pardoned  for  murder  by  Henry  I'lince  of 
Wales  at  the  request  of  John  Staidey,  steward  of  the  Prince's  household,  was  possibly  a  younger  brother  of  this  William 
de  IJeryngton. 

'   Ilarl.  MS.  2,03s,  r.  94''.  '  //'/,/.  ihi.i. 

e   Enrolled  on  the  Cheshire  Recognizance  Rolls  on  July  13,  15S1,  at  the  request  of  Philip  Oldfield,  junr.,  Esq. 

I"  Cheshire  Recognizance  Rolls.  On  April  6,  1579,  the  record  of  an  old  plea  dated  i  Henry  V.,  relating  to  lands  in 
Moresbarrow,  &c.,  was  enrolled  on  the  Recognizance  Rolls.  This  plea  proves  the  early  descents  as  given  in  the  pedigree  from 
Randle  de  Berynton. 


^fn'ntjton  of  iHoorsdjarroU)  nnb  ^rntiluan. 


Matthew  de  Berthington,    =p 
or  Beryngton.  i 

Living  3  Ed w.  I.  [1275]. 


Authorities:    Harl.    MSS.    1,424  and 

2,038,  Cheshire  Recognizance  and 
Plea  Rolls,  Sandbach  Registers,  &;c 


Randle  de  Beryngton, - 

of  Moresborough. 
Living  I  Edw.  IIL  [1327]. 


Adam  de  Beryngtor 

(second  son). 

Living  5  Rich.  IL 

[13S1-2]. 


I  I  I 

Thomas  DE  Beryngton,  =p  Joan,  dau.    Hugh  de  Beryngton,  Thomas  de  Beryngton, 


John  de  Beryngton  =f=    Agatha,  dau.  of  Thomas 

"  son  and  heir," 

Vernon,  of  Lostock,  son  of 

I  Edw.  IIL  [1327]. 

Sir  Ralph  Vernon,  Knt.,  and 

Living  31  Edw.  III. 

brotlier  of  Richard  Vernon, 

['357]. 

Rector  of  .Stockport. 

Marr.  Gov.  1327. 

of  Moresborough, 

*'  son  and  heir." 

Living35Edw.  III.[i36i], 

and  21  Rich.  II.  [1397]. 


and  co-he 

of  William 

de  Venaljles, 

of  Bradwall. 


was  80  years  of"  age 
in  S  Henry  V. 
L1420]. 


son  of  Adam. 
Living  I  Henry  V. 

'[I4I3]- 

(,Sec  Harl.  MS.  1424, 

f.  30.) 


William  de  Beryngton,: 

of  Moorsborough  and 

Bradwall. 

Living  1405,  1420,  1436. 

Dead  before  1476. 


Anns :  Sable,  three  greyhounds 

courant  in  pale  Argent,  collared 

Gules,   within    a    bordure    of 

the  second. 
Cn'St :    A  greyhound's   head  Ar- '  of  Moorsborough  and 

gent,    issuant    from     a    ducal     Bradwall,  "  son  and 

coronet    Or,    gorged    with     a      o'!,"'-"  v^'r'l"^„r 
-    '    °     1^  lb  Hen.  \  I.  L1440J. 


Margery,  dau.  of 


Living  a  widow, 
16  Edw.  IV.  [1476]. 


[  ^ 

John  de  Beryngton. 
Living  1402. 


I 
John  de  Beryngton, 


collar   Gules. 


?  Died  S.J'. 


I 
-  Agnes,  dau.    Henry  de  Beryngton,  = 
of  Richard  second  son, 

S.indbach,  "  brother  and  heir  of 

of  Sandbach.  John."     Living 

18  Hen.  6  [1440]. 


William  de 
Beryngton. 


A 


I 

William  Berincton,       =p  Margaret,  dau.  of 
of  Moorsborough  and  Bradwall,   I       Richard  Penketh, 
Living  16  Kdw.  IV.  [1476],  of  Penketh, 

and  5  Hen.  VIII.  [15 13].  co.  Lane. 


William  Berington. 
Living  16  Edw.  IV. 


Maud  Berington. 

Marr.  Peter  Glutton, 

of  Arclyd. 


William  Berington,        =f       Agnes,  dau.  of  Thomas 


of  Moorsbarrow  and  Bradwall, 

son  and  heir.      Living 

5  Heni7  VIII.  [1513],  and  then 

called  "junior."     Living 
20  Henry  VIII.  [1528]  and  1532. 


Cotton,  of  Cotton,  co.  Chester. 
Living  1513. 


Elizabeth  Berington. 

Marr.  to  William  Raven, 

of  Elworth. 


George  Berington,  =p 
of  Moorsbarrow  and 

Bradwall,  son  and  heir. 

Livings  Hen.  VIII. 

[1513],  and 

33  Hen.  VIII.  [1541]. 


Alice,  dau.  of 

William  Raven, 

the  elder,  of 

Newbold  Astbury. 

Marr.  Sett.  10  May, 

SHen.  VIH.  [1513]. 


I 
William  Berington 
(second  son),  was 
standard  bearer  to 
Sir  Wm.  Brereton, 
of  Brereton,  Knt. 
13  Hen.  VIII. 


T 


Jane,  dau. 
of  Henry 

Brome 
(?  Brown), 
of  Brereton. 


I 

Humphrey  Berington 

(third  son),  of 
Altrinchani,  "  wdio 
had  issue  George, 
who  had  issue  John, 
who  dyed  without 
issue  male." 


Elizabeth 
Berington, 
wife  of 
Richard 
Parker. 
3  Hen.  VIII. 
[■511]. 


William  Berington,       =p 
of  Moorsbarrow  and  Bradwall, 
gent,  "  son  and  heir  in  1541." 
Living  1584. 

Bur.  at  Sandbach,  29  Oct.  15S9. 


I 

Helen  Berington, 

only  daughter  and 

heiress. 

Marr.  c.  1569. 


Elizabeth,  dau.  of 
William  Bowyer, 

of  Knypersley, 

CO.  .Stafi'ord,  gent. 

Marr.  Sett. 

33  Hen.  VIII.  [1541]. 

Bur.  at  .Sandbach, 

IS  Feb.  15SS-9. 


William  Berington, 
of  Brereton. 


=  Elizabeth,  dau.  of 
Randle  Phithion,  of 
Moston,  CO.  Chester. 


:   Philip  Oldfield, 

of  Gray's  Inn 

and  Chester.  Esq. 


Thomas  Berington,    -p    Eleanor,  dau.  of  John  Oakes 
son  and  heir.  of  Eaton,  co.  Chester. 

Will  proved  at  Chester  in  1639. 


A 
Oldfield  of  Bradwall. 


I 

\\  illiam  Berington, 

eldest  son. 

He  was  gentleman  usher 

to  the  Countess  of 
Pembroke,  and  died  s.f. 


2.    Urian  Berington, 

of  Brereton. 

MaiTied,  "  but  hath  yet 

no  issue.     Anno.  162S. " 


Th's  Pedigree  was  c&nfiimed  vj''  Mail,  1632. 

(Signed)     Joannes  de  burgo,  Noirey  Rex  Armorum. 

S    2 


•  3.   Thomas  Berington, 

of  the  City  of  Chester. 

"  An  attorney  in  the 

E.\chequer  "  there. 

^■El.  34  in  1628. 

Marr.  and  had  issue. 

A 

(Hark  MS.  2,038.) 


SANDBACH. 


months  later  we  meet  with  "  \\'iinehmis  Berintoii  quondam  de  Bradwall  generosus  sepultus 
xxix  Octobris"  [1589]. 

With  liim  terminated  the  male  line  of  this  family  as  far  as  Bradwall  was  concerned,  but,  as 
shown  in  the  pedigree,  it  was  continued  elsewhere  by  the  descendants  of  the  younger  brothers 
of  George  Berington,  some  of  whom  were  living  in  Chester  in  1628.  There  are  many  references 
to  the  Beringtons  in  the  Registers  of  St.  Mary-on-the-Hill,  Chester.  Some  families  of  the  name, 
however,  remained  in  the  parish  of  Sandbach,  and  entries  relating  to  them  are  to  be  found  in 
the  Registers. 

Philip  Oldkield,  Esq.,  who  thus  succeeded  to  Bradwall  on  account  of  his  marriage  with 
Helen,  daughter  and  heiress  of  William  Berington,  was  the  eldest  son  of  Philip  Oldfield,  of 
Middlewich,  and  Elizabeth  (Swinton)  his  wife.'  He  was  born  r.  1541,  and  was  educated  at 
Gra}''s  Inn  as  a  barrister,  in  which  capacity  he  practised  at  Chester  for  many  years.  He  was 
married  about  1569  (two  of  his  children  being  buried  at  Sandbach  on  ;\Iarch  18,  i  570-1),  and 
in  the  Sandbach  Register  the  birth  and  baptism  of  his  eldest  son  and  heir  is  thus  fully  described 
(translated  from  the  original  Latin)  : — 

'•  1575.  Memorandum  that  Philip  Oldfeld,  of  Greyes  Inn,  in  the  county  of  Middlesex,  gentleman, 
and  Helen,  his  wife,  daughter  and  heir  apparent  of  William  Berynton,  of  Bradwall,  co.  Chester,  gentleman, 
had  issue  begotten  betwixt  them  an  only  son,  at  the  Hall  of  Bradwall,  in  the  parish  of  Sandbach,  in  the 
said  county  of  Chester,  on  Tuesday  being  the  28th  June.  The  which  son  of  the  said  Philip  and  Helen 
was  afterwards,  namely  on  the  Friday  then  next  following,  being  the  first  day  of  July  in  the  said  year, 
baptized  in  the  parish  church  of  IMiddlewich  in  the  said  county  by  the  name  of  Thomas  Oldfeld,  Thomas 
Venables,  esq.,  son  and  heir  apparent  of  Thomas  Venables,  of  Kinderton,  in  the  said  county  of  Chester, 
Knight,  and  William  Boweor  [Bowyer],  of  Knypersley,  in  the  county  of  Stafford,  esq.,  and  Elizabeth,  the 
wife  of  the  said  William  Berynton,  being  the  sponsors  of  the  said  child." 

In  the  following  year,  1576,  he  had  a  daughter,  Elizabeth,  and  on  the  30th  "Slay,  1578,  his 
wife  was  buried  at  Sandbach.  He  subsequently  married,  c.  1582,  Helen,  daughter  of  William 
Hanmer,  of  Fennes,  Esq.,  b)'  whom  he  had  three  sons,  Philip,  Michael,  and  William,  the  f  Hinders 
respectively  of  the  three  local  families  of  the  Oldfields  of  Somcrford,  of  Croxton,  and  of  Left- 
wich  (see  the  pedigree).  He  died  at  Chester,  15th  Dec,  1616,  aged  75,  and  was  buried  at  St. 
Mary's  in  that  city,'  where  a  handsome  monument,  still  existing,  was  erected  to  his  memor\-. 
His  life-size  effigy  is  placed  on  a  marble  slab,  habited  in  a  long  gown  and  wearing  a  ruff.  He 
is  leaning  on  his  right  side,  the  right  hand  supporting  the  head,  the  elbow  resting  on  a  pillow, 
and  he  holds  a  roll  in  the  left  hand,  whilst  below  him  a  skeleton  is  painted  on  the  side  of  the 
marble.  The  slab  is  supported  by  the  kneeling  figures  of  his  four  sons,  their  right  hands  resting 
on  the  hilts  of  their  swords  and  bearing  on  their  left  arms  shields,  on  which  were  painted  the 
arms  of  Oldfield  impaling  those  of  Wcttcnhall,  Somerford,  Mainwaring  of  Croxton  and  Lcft- 
wich  respectivel}-.  At  the  head  of  the  effigy  are  his  two  daughters,  kneeling  and  holding  shields 
with  the  arms  of  Wettenhall  and  Shakerley,  respectively,  impaling  Oldfield.  This  monument 
was  seen  by  Webb  in  1620,  who  thus  speaks  of  it  (King's  luz/c  Royall,  1656,  p.  46)  : — 

"  Neer  to  the  same  and  close  to  the  same  Wall  [the  north  wall  of  the  North  Chapel]  was  of  late  erected 
a  very  fine  Tombe  of  Alabaster  curiously  adorned,  a  well-formed  Statue,  lying  upon  the  Table  of  it,  turning 

'  Accoiilinj;  to  a  pedigree  in  Ilarl.  MS.  2,119,  P-  '-5.  ''^e  OUllields  were  dcsceiuled  in  the  direct  male  line  from  Guy  de 
Provence. 

J  lie  was  lunied  in  St.  Katherine's  chapel  there,  on  the  I7tli  December,  1616. 


BRADWALL   TOWNSHIP.  133 


itself  as  it  were  side-wayes,  his  right  hand  supporting  his  head  and  his  elbow  leaning  upon  a  fine  Pillow, 
his  three  \sic  for  four]  Sons  in  their  order,  placed  on  the  utter  [outer]  side  of  the  Chest  of  the  Tombe, 
and  his  two  Daughters  in  the  arched  end  thereof,  the  same  fenced  with  an  Iron  grate  ;  and  tlie  Inscriptiun 
over  the  same,  thus — 

Philippo  Oldfeld  Armig.  ob  navatam  in  construendis  viis  pontibusque  operam,  in  eruendis 
antiquissimis  Familiarum  testimatibus,  bene  de  Com.  hoc  merito  :  Qui  in  primum  matrimonium 
Helena  Gulielmi  Berington  de  Bradwel  hatred,  copulavit,  ex  qua  Thomam  et  Eliz.  Johan. 
Wetenhall  nuptam,  genuit :  Ad  secunda  vota,  Elenam  Griffeth,  Viduam,  filiam  Gulielmi  Hanmcr 
Armigeri  duxit ;  per  quam  tres  filios,  et  unam  filiam  procreavit.  Quorum  primogenituni 
Philippum  Marife  unic^e  filite  et  hsred.  Johannis  Sommerford  de  Sommerford  Armig.  Michael 
Elenorje  hsered.  Jacobi  Manwayring  de  Croxton  Armiger.  Gulielm.  Elizabeth,  hatred.  Roberti 
Leftwich  de  Leftwich  Armig.  Mariam  [sic  for  Margaretam]  filiam  Petro  Shackerley  primogenito 
Nepoti  ex  h^red.  Galfridi  Shackerley  de  Holme  Armig.  in  Matrimonium  felicissime  Elocavit. 
Juris  consulto  Municipali  Clarissimo  marito  suo  Chariss.  Helena  uxor  relicta  Sepulchrum  hoc, 
Monumentum,  consecravit.     Obiit  15  Decem.  1616.     yEtat.  suEe  75." 

Of  this  inscription  the  following  translation  may  be  given  : — 

To  Philip  Oldfeld,  Esquire,  who  deserved  well  of  his  county,  by  reason  of  the  work  done  ijy 
him  in  constructing  roads  and  bridges,  as  well  as  in  investigating  the  most  ancient  pedigrees  of 
its  families  :  He  for  his  first  marriage  wedded  Helen,  heiress  of  William  Berington,  of  Bradwall. 
by  whom  he  begat  Thomas  and  Elizabeth,  married  to  John  Wetenhall.  For  his  second  wife  he 
married  Helen  Griffith,  widow,  the  daughter  of  William  Hanmer,  Esquire,  by  whom  he  was  the 
father  of  three  sons  and  one  daughter.  Philip,  the  eldest  of  these,  he  caused  to  be  married  to 
Mary,  only  daughter  and  heiress  of  John  Somerford,  of  Somerford,  Esquire  ;  Michael  to  Eleanor, 
heiress  of  James  Mainwaring,  of  Croxton,  Esquire  ;  William  to  Elizabeth,  heiress  of  Robert  Left- 
wich, of  Leftwich,  Esquire ;  and  his  daughter  Margaret  to  Peter  Shakerley,  eldest  grandson  of 
Geoffrey  Shakerley,  of  Holme,  Esquire,  all  most  happily.  To  her  husband,  most  distinguished 
as  a  lawyer  and  a  citizen,  his  dearest  wife  Helen,  who  survives  him,  has  dedicated  tliis  tomb  as  a 
memorial.     He  died  15"'  December,  1616,  in  the  75"'  year  of  his  age. 

The  above  Latin  inscription  is  not  quite  the  same  as  that  now  on  the  monument,  but  it  has 
probably  been  more  than  once  altered,  for  underneath  it  is  added,  "  Peter  Shakerlc)',  esq. 
eldest  son  of  Sir  Geffr.  Shakerley,  knt.,  by  Margaret  his  first  wife,  refreshed  this  inscription  in 
memory"  of  the  said  Margaret  Oldfield,  his  great  grandmother,  in  1724,  and  on  another  tablet 
lower  down  is  added  : — 

In  June  17SS,  this  tombe  &  monument  was  repaired  & 

cleaned  by  order  of  the  rev.  Doctor  Richard  Jackson, 

Prebendary  of  Chester,  whose  mother  was  wife  of 

Richard  Jackson,  esq.,  of  Betchton  House  near  Sandbach, 

in  this  county,  and  who  was  the  only  daughter  of 

William  Oldfield  esq.  and  Lfetitia  his  wife, 

and  great  great  grandson  of  Philip  Oldfield  esq.  and 

Ellen  his  wife  of  Bradwall,  in  this  county. 

Over  the  inscription  is  a  quartered  shield  of  arms  with  a  crest,  Oldfield,  quartering  Grosvenor, 
Pulford,  Pheasant,  Eaton,  and  Stockton. 

No  will  of  Philip  Oldfield  is  now  to  be  found  at  Chester,  but  the  inventory  of  his  goods,  &c., 
is    still  preserved  there.     This  document   is   one  of  great   length,  and   is  of  much   interest,  as 


134  SANDRACH. 

showing  the  possessions  of  a  rich  lawyer  at  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century'.  It  is  too 
long  to  give  in  full,  but  the  following  abstract  gives  the  chief  items,  many  of  which  are  very 
curious.  Those  at  his  residence  in  Chester  are  given  first,  and  subsequently  those  at  Brad- 
wall.     The  total  amounted  to  ;f  1,310.  6s.  5d.,  a  very  large  sum  in  those  days. 

A  true  and  perfect   Inventory  of  all  the  Goods  &c.  which  late  were  of  Phillippe  Oldfeild 
Esquier  deceased  as  they  were  seen  vallewed  and  appraised  by  John  Cooke,  Randle  Holme, 

Thomas  Weston  and  Robert  Smithe,  Citizens  of  the  Cittie  of  Chester,  George  Holland,  Richard 
ffurnivall,  Thomas  Brooraefeild,  John  Hatton,  Richard  Brooke,  John  ap  Richard,  and  Richard 
Holme  yeomen  of  theCountie  palatyn  of  Chester,  begun  on  the  19"'  Dec.  1616  and  fynished  the 
10  Marche  following. 

Imprimis  in  the  Greene  Hall  in  Chester. 

Item  one  silk  grograyne  gowne  and  two  black  clothe  gownes  vallewed  at  vij''.     [^7] 

Item  one  velvett  Jerkin  and  a  paier  of  velvet  hose    xxvj^  viij''. 

Item  one  Sattyn  doblett  and  an  old  velvet  Jerkin xviij^ 

Item  three  paier  of  rounde  hose .xj^ 

Item  three  paier  of  oulde  stockinges  &  a  paier  of  black  gamashees  iiij^ 

Item  one  Rideinge  Cassack    v^ 

Item  one  study  gowne xxvj*.  viij''. 

Item  one  parted  doblett  of  stuff  and  one  grcuite  gamashin  stockinge ij*.  vj''. 

Item  one  payer  of  hose  of  read  bayes  x''. 

Item  one  old  beaver  hatt    xij'^. 

In  the  Studic  Chamber. 

Item  in  bookes  concerninge  the  lawes  xl^ 

Item  six  bookes  of  the  Statuts  at  large iij^ 

Item  eight  bookes  of  historyes  &  heraldrye  viij^ 

Item  a  dictionary ij^ 

Item  a  new  bible  &  ten  bookes  of  Divinitye xv^ 

Item  fitz  Herberts  abridgment  &  brookes  abridgm' xx'. 

&:  other  books  in  cupboards  iS:c. 

A  paier  of  gloves  a  paier  of  mittons  &  a  dossen  of  silke  poynts  [laces]  xij''. 

A  large  quantity  of  silver  plate  valued  at  4s.  7d.  the  ounce  &  "guilt  plate"  valued  at  5s.  the  ounce. 

A  signet  ringe  of  gold xxxvj^ 

A  seale  skynd  cheist    iiij'-  vj'i. 

In  coyned  gold  the  sum  of Ixxx.xj''.  xij''. 

Total  ccxlvij''.  iij^  [^247.  3s.] 

\Vithin  and  aboute  the  howse  at  Bradwall. 

Oxen,  horses,  kyne,  wheat,  barley  &c. 

Item  a  bull iij"-  [^3] 

Item  two  fatt  kyne  iiij''. 

Item  five  draught  chaynes,  a  copsowe  &  two  copsowe  pynns  and  a  crowe  of  iron...  xv*.  iiij''. 

Item  two  nawgers  a  guarge  a  handshaw  a  wymble,  a  paier  of  pinsers  &  a  hammer  ij^ 

Item  one  Coache  w"'  whecles v''. 

In  the  brew  house. 

Item  one  Bracke xij". 

Item  one  .Stound,  one  piggen  three  drilats  &  a  Boultinge  Tubb vj^  viij''. 

Item  one  hayre  to  drye  malte  on xiij'.  iiij''. 


BRADWALL   TOWNSHIP.  135 


Item  a  moldinge  boorde  &  a  logge  of  wood viij^. 

Item  a  wodden  steade vj''. 

In  the  Buttrey. 

Item  a  bazen  &  Ewer  of  maslyn    vj^.  viij''. 

Item  a  dravvinge  voyder  v^ 

Item  two  stillinges  xij''. 

In  the  higher  parlor. 

A  paire  of  playinge  Tables. 
In  the  Hall. 

Item  one  drawinge  Table  &  its  frame    xl'. 

Item  a  little  square  Table  &  keyvinge  Tables  &  two  longe  formes x^ 

Item  in  the  hall  one  Calliver  v^ 

Item  a  bandalyer  fflax  and  a  matche ij'.  vj''. 

In  the  chamber  over  the  Kitchen. 

Item  one  bedsteed  w'  a  Testerne  &  a  Trundell  bedd  xx^ 

Item  one  Twiggen  chayer  &  a  cushin     v^ 

Item  a  urynall  glasse,  a  case  &  an  old  pen  &  ynckhorne  and  a  little  baskett ij''. 

Item  a  warminge  pan  js 

Item  an  olde  Studye  Gowne    v^ 

Item  Chesse  boordes  and  the  Men ijs. 

In  the  daie  house  [?  dairy  house]. 

Item  four  Eshins  and  two  little  bowkes  one  old  stoond  &  a  woodden  ladle  ij.  vj''. 

Item  a  clock  and  bell  in  the  buttrey  Chamber iij''.  vj^  viij''. 

Item  a  booke  of  husbandrie  xij''. 

"  Pikles  "  [i-e.  hay-forks]  are  mentioned  in  the  stables,  &c. 
Powltrey,  &c.,  &c. 

Item  ten  turkeys  x'. 

Item  three  Digs  [an  old  Cheshire  word  for  duck]  and  a  Drake  ij^ 

Item  ffower  Capons iiijs', 

Item  seaven  pea  hens  and  cocks    vij^ 

Item  two  sighes  [?  scythes]  and  a  hooke    xx''. 

Item  a  Marlinge  nawger  [augor] x''. 

Item  one  fowleinge  peece    vj''.  viij'' 

Item  one  new  bible x'. 

In  the  storehouse. 

Item  two  pye  plates,  one  olde  voyder  [basket  or  tray]  and  a  Culhnder  Dishe  x^ 

Item  one  Lymbeck  [an  alembic]  &  two  little  ones    xx^ 

In  the  Maydens  Chamber  &c. 

Item  a  hetchell  [or  hatchel,  an  instrument  used  to  dress  flax  with]    ij^. 

In  the  Studie. 

Item  four  portmantuas iiij*. 

Item  a  standish,  &  two  paier  of  spectacles  &  an  old  dagger    ij*. 

Item  an  hower  glasse  ., xij''. 

Item  a  bowe  &  a  sheafif  of  arrowes ij^ 

Item  eight  horse  shoes  being  old    vj''. 


136  SANDBACH. 


Item  two  pictures ij^ 

Item  a  Levill  and  a  staffe    vj''. 

Item  a  pumptree .' v^. 

Item  a  herball  V. 

Item  one  good  cloke    xl'. 

Item  one  Lattayne  Bible v'. 

Item  in  bookes  in  the  inner  studie v''. 

Item  a  nest  of  boxes   ij*. 

Item  a  guiite  pen  &:  yncke ij*. 

Item  in  walking  staves ij«. 

Bricks  at  Ic^  the  thousand.     Coarser  bricks  at  5^  the  thousand. 

Item  a  lease  made  by  Rauffe  Leftwiche  and  William  Leftwiche  to  this  intestate  of 
certain  parcells  of  the  demesne  of  Leftw'^''  for  the  terme  of  Ix  yeres  bearing 

date  S  James  20  Dec.  [1610]  if  the  said  Raufle  Leftwiche  soe  longe  do  lyve...  C'.   [^100] 

Item  one  father  bedd  xl*. 

Item  one  downe  bedd iiij". 

Item  one  caddowe    x^. 

Item   the  intestates   debts  due  &  owinge  unto  him  by  divers  psons  upon  seu'all 

specialtyes v'-  xx".  [^520] 

The  totall  some  of  all  (S:  every  of  the  somes  in  this  Inventory    (      i"iij'x''.  \'y.  v''. 

sett  downe  &  mentioned  is (     [^1,310.  6s.  5d.] 

Exhibited  14  March  i6i6-[i7]. 

His  Inqiiisitioji  post  iiiortcin  is  as  follows  : — 

Inq.  taken  at  Sandbach,  on  the  13th  June  15  James  [161  7]  before  Henry  Alaynwaringe,  Escheator, 
Raliih  Wilhraham,  feodary,  and  William  Leversegge,  by  virtue  of  a  writ  of  enquiry  after  the  death  of  Philip 
Oldfield,  late  of  Bradwall,  deceased,  by  the  oath  of  Humphrey  Page  of  Yardshawe  gent,  Richard  Steele  of 
Sandbach  gent,  John  Rode  of  Walhill  gent,  Thomas  Hodgkinson  of  Smalwood  gent,  Reginald  Finlowe  cf 
Holme  Walfield  gent,  John  \\'ereham  of  Lawton  gent,  William  Venables  of  Sproston  gent,  John  Kinsey  of 
Wimbaldesley  gent,  Hugh  Furnivall  of  Betchton  gent,  Thomas  Somervile  of  the  same  gent,  Richard 
Kettle  of  ...  .  gent,  John  Shawe  gent,  William  Shawe  gent  and  Hugh  Broome  gent,  who  say  that  Philip 
Oldfield  of  r.radwall  was  seised  in  his  demesne  as  of  fee,  viz  to  himself  and  his  heirs  by  Helen  his  wife 
deceased  ufand  in  10  messuages,  100  acres  of  land,  40  acres  of  meadow,  200  acres  of  pasture,  50  acres  of 
wood  with  their  appurtenances  in  Bradwall  and  also  of  one  other  messuage  in  Bradwall  in  the  occupation 
of  Eleanor  Minshull  and  all  the  lands  and  tenements  to  the  same  belonging.  And  of  and  in  10  acres  of  land, 
10  acres  of  meadow  10  acres  of  pasture  with  their  appurtenances  in  Sproston.  And  of  and  in  8  messuages, 
S  gardens,  10  acres  of  land,  5  acres  of  meadow  and  10  acres  of  pasture  in  Middlewich  and  Newton  near 
Middlewich,  purchased  by  the  said  Philip  Oldfield  from  Sir  Thomas  Egerton  knt  and  John  Egerton  esq. 

[Then  comes  a  paragraph  relating  to  the  manor  of  Croxton  in  connection  with  Michael  Oldfield  (son 
of  Phili]))  and  his  wife,  Eleanor,  daughter  and  co-heir  of  James  Mainwaring,  of  Croxton,  Esq.] 

He  also  died  seised  of  a  moiety  of  6  messuages,  60  acres  of  land,  30  acres  of  meadow,  60  acres  of 
pasture  and  4  acres  of  wood  in  Shipbrooke,  Leftwiche  and  Davenham  alias  Danam,  co.  Chester,  and  of 
and  in  all  the  tithes  of  all  grain  growing  on  the  lands  &c  within  the  separate  lordships  or  manors  of 
liradwall  aforesaid  and  HoUins  alias  Hollenges  and  in  certain  fields  &c  in  the  parish  of  Sandbach  late  in 
the  tenure  of  the  said  Philip  Oldfield,  Thomas  Whittingham  and  31  other  tenants  all  duly  named. 

The  said  Philip  Oldfield  died  15  December  14  James  [1616]  and  Thomas  Oldfield  gent  is  his  son 
and  heir  by  Helen  his  late  wife  and  is  aged  40  years  or  more. 


BRADWALL   TOWNSHIP.  13; 


Thomas  Olufield,  Esq.,  who  was  born  28th  June,  1575,  married  Anne,  daughter  of  Roger 
Wettenhall,  of  Sandbach,  and  had  two  sons,  John,  his  son  and  heir,  and  Thomas,  who  only 
hved  a  few  days.  He  died  14th  Jan.  1626-7,  ^^^  ^^a-s  buried  at  Sandbach  on  the  following 
da\-.  There  is  no  will  now  at  Chester,  but  the  inventory  of  his  effects  is  still  preserved  there. 
This,  which  is  a  very  short  document, — the  total  amounting  only  to  i^2i.  i8s.  4d., — does  not 
contain  any  items  of  special  interest.  His  Inquisition /c'j/'  viorteiu,  taken  20th  Jan.  1630,  states 
that  he  died  seised  of  the  manor  of  Bradwall  and  12  messuages,  i  mill,  i  dove-house,  12 
gardens,  500  acres  of  land,  40  acres  of  meadow,  500  acres  of  pasture,  20  acres  of  wood,  100 
acres  of  bruery,  100  acres  of  moor,  and  6s.  lod.  rent,  in  Bradwall  and  Moresbarrow,  and  all 
the  tithes  of  grain,  &c.,  in  Bradwall  and  Hollins.  He  also  died  seised  of  2  messuages,  10  acres 
of  land,  10  acres  of  meadow,  20  acres  of  pasture,  and  10  acres  of  wood  in  Moresbarrow,  and 
John  Oldfield,  his  son  and  heir,  was  then  of  full  age  and  upwards. 

John  Oldfield,  Esq.,  who  was  baptised  at  Sandbach,  28th  Aug.  1604,  was  twice  married. 
By  his  first  wife.  Cicely,  daughter  of  William  Leversage,  of  Wheelock,  Esq.,  to  whom  he  was 
married  at  Sandbach,  12th  Jan.  1622-3,  he  had  a  family  of  five  sons  and  three  daughters. 
She  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  30th  March,  1636,  and  in  Jan.  1639-40,  he  married,  secondly, 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Thomas  Whitby,  of  Chester,  Alderman,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons.  He 
was  buried  at  Sandbach,  2Sth  July,  1643.  In  his  will,  dated  14th  July,  1643,  he  desired  to  be 
buried  "  in  decent  manner  in  my  chappell  or  ancient  buriall  place  within  the  parishe  church  of 
Sandbach  "  ;  and  after  leaving  various  legacies  to  his  children,  who  are  all  mentioned  by  name, 
desired  his  loving  brother-in-law,  Robert  Whitby,  gent.,  his  loving  kinsman,  John  Wettenhall, 
gent.,  and  his  loving  uncles,  William  Vernon  [of  Shakerley],  and  James  Garsteed,  gentlemen, 
to  be  his  executors. 

Peter  Oldfield,  Esq.,  the  eldest  son  and  heir  of  John  Oldfield,  bapti.^ed  at  Sandbach, 
14th  July,  1625,  succeeded  his  father.  He  married  Katherine  Fox,  a  Shropshire  lady,  but  died 
in  September,  1649,  without  surviving  issue.  In  his  will,  dated  13th  Aug.  1649,  and  proved  in 
London  on  the  26th  Nov.  1650,  he  mentions  his  "  loving  and  tender  wife  Katherine"  and  "the 
messuage  or  mansion-house  called  Bradwell  Hall  wherein  I  now  li\-e,"  and  he  leaves  this  and 
the  demesne  lands  there,  and  the  tithes  of  Bradwall  and  Hollins,  to  his  brother,  William 
Oldfield,  and  his  heirs  for  e\-er.  Legacies  are  also  left  to  his  younger  brothers,  and  his 
wife  Katherine,  and  Charles  Whichcote,  of  Tatton,  Esq.,  were  appointed  executri.x  and 
executor. 

William  Oldfield,  Esq.,  who  succeeded  to  Bradwall  on  his  brother's  death  in  1649,  was 
baptised  at  Sandbach,  Sth  Aug.  1626.  He  died  at  Bradwall  in  May,  1658,  leaving  issue,  of 
whom  William  Oldfield,  his  eldest  son  and  heir,  was  then  only  about  seven  years  of  age. 
About  this  time  Bradwall  appears  to  have  been  the  residence  of  a  family  of  the  name  of 
Swettenham,  to  whom  there  are  occasional  references  in  the  Registers.''  Lazvrence  Swettetiliani , 
"  of  Bradwall  in  the  parish  of  Sandbage,"  gentleman,  made  his  will  on  the  26th  June, 
1632  ;  and  Thomas  Szccttt'ii/iain,  the  elder,  of  Bradwall,  made  his  will  20th  February  1659-60. 
but   it  was  not  proved   till  the  28th  July,   1672.     He   names  his    sons,  Thomas  and   Francis. 

>*  "  164S.   Thomas  Swetttnham  fil  Tho:  Swettenliam  Gener.  bapt.  erat  15"  Octoliiis." 
"  1649.   ffrancisca  Swettenham  uxor  Tho  :   Swettenham  gen.  sepulta  erat.  31°  Octobris." 
"  1672.   Thomas  Swettenham  Gener.  sepultus  erat  tertio  die  Junii." 
"  1673.   ffranciscus  Swettenham  gen.  sepult.  erat.  12"  Sept." 

After  which  there  are  no  more  Swettenham  entries  in  the  Registers. 
Among  the  Cartwright  deeds    "  Thomas   Swettenham  of  Bradwall,  gent."  occurs  as  a  party  to  deeds  dated  31st  March. 
1658,  and  2Slh  Jan.  1670-1. 


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and  his  brother,  W'iUiam  Swcttenliam,  of  Bo.slc}-,  co.  Chester,  gent.,  and  bequeaths  ^lO  to 
the  poor  of  Sandbach.  WilHam  Oldfield  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  8th  June,  1709,  as  "  WilUam 
Oldfield  senior  esq.  Bradwall."  His  son  and  successor,  WlLLIA.M  OldP'IELD,  Esq.,  married 
in  Oct.  1696,  Anne,  daughter  and  heir  of  Hugh  Amson,  of  Leighs,  gent.,  and  was  buried  at 
Sandbach,  3rd  Sept.  171  I,  leaving  an  only  son,  WiLLl.VM  OLDFIELD,  Esq.,  who  sold  Bradwall 
in  1719,  and  went  to  li\-c  at  Whitchurch,  co.  Saloj;  He  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  15th  Xov. 
1727,  as  "William  Oldfield,  Esq.  late  of  Bradwall,"  and  with  him  terminated  the  direct 
male  line  of  this  old  famil}-.  His  aunt,  Elizabeth  Oldfield,  was  married  at  Sandbach,  <Sth 
.May,  1703,  to  Richard  Jack.son,  of  Betchton  House,  in  Sandbach,  gentleman,  by  whom  she 
had  Richard  Jackson,  D.D.,  Prebendar\-  of  York,  Lichfield,  and  Chester,  and  other  issue,  for 
which  see  the  foregoing  pedigree. 

B\-  indenture  dated  8th  March,  1719,  William  Oldfield,  then  of  Whitchurch,  co.  Salop, 
and  late  o^  l-iradwall,  Esq.,  convej-ed  the  Hall  of  Bradwall  and  tlie  demesne  lands,  &c.,  there, 
together  with  the  chapel  at  the  end  f)f  the  south  aisle  of  Sandbach  church,  to  Charles 
Ward,  of  Dublin,  Esq.  .A  few  j-cars  later,  on  the  14th  Jan.  1725,  the  said  Charles  Ward,  in 
consequence  of  the  agreements  on  the  marriage  of  his  daughter  Grace  to  John  Jervis  of 
Darlaston,  co.  Stafford,  Esq.,  conve)-ed  the  Bradwall  estate  to  him  and  his  heirs  for  ever.     The 


iri)f  Sribis  Jfnmtli)  of  iSratilunU. 


Arms :    Sable,    a 

John  Jervis,           = 

=     Grace,  dau.  of 

p           M.VRY,  dau.  of 

chevron  Ermine 

of  Darlaston^  co.  Stafford, 

Charles  Ward, 

Joseph  Ilewlate, 

between     three 
martlets  Or. 

Esq.     Called  of  "  Mill 

of  Dublin  and 

of  London,  merchant. 

Hill,"  gent.,  in  1722. 

of  Bradwall,  Esq 

Marr.  at  Lawton,  co. 

.Marr.  c.  1720. 

Bur.  at  Sandbach 

Chester,  9  Feb.  1733-4. 

Had  BraduallyK/r  tixoris. 

2S  Dec.  1729 

Living  1 75 1 

Bur.  at  Sandbach, 

(JJrst  wife). 

(second  luifc). 

3  -March,  1747-S. 

1 

lOH-V  Tf.rvis,      =j 

r Mary  [ervis. 

Elizabeth 

1                                         1 
Grace  Jervis.                 Jane  Jervis. 

1 
Alice  Jervi 

uf  Bradwall,  Es.|. 

dau.  of  .    .   .           Bapt.'at  S., 

Jervis. 

Bapt.  at  S.,                      Bap't.  at 

Bur.  at 

Bapt.  at  Sandbach, 

13  Feh.  1722-3 

Bapt.  at  S.,       27  Dec   1729.                  Sandbach, 

Sandbach, 

5  Dec.  1721. 

Bur.  there, 

19  March, 

Bur.  there,                     10  March, 

10  Ian. 

Bur.  there  as  "John 

2S  Dec.  1729. 

1724-5. 

2  Nov.  1730.                      1736-7- 

1742-3. 

Jervis  of  Darleston, 

Bur.  there. 

Staffordshire," 

27  -Vpiil,  1751. 

27  .March,  1755. 

1 
Grace  Jervis. 

Mary  Jervis, 

1 
lOIIN  Jf.uvis, 

of 

Bradwall,  E^q. 

Bur.  at  S.andbach 

uf  Knightsbridge,  London. 

? 

a  Welsh  Judge. 

23  .March,  1766. 

Bur.  at  Sandbach, 

Died  1S02. 

13  Sept.  1780. 

Jlr\'IS  family  were  seated  at  Bradwall  for  two  or  three  generations,  and  there  are  a  few  entries 
relating  to  them   in   the   Registers.'     JOHX  jERVis,  Esq.,  who  married  Grace  Ward,  had  a  son 


1724 
1729. 
■736 
1729. 

'73° 
1742 
1751. 
1766 
17S0 


tieman,  and  Grace,  his  wife,  .Sand- 
bapt. 


In  additiiui  to  those  entries  given  in  the  text  the  following  occur 
1722  [-3],  Feb.  13.     Mary,  D'  of  John  Jervis  of  the  Mill  Hdl 
bach,  bapt. 
[-5],  Mar.  19.     Elizabeth,  D'  of  John  Jervis,  Gent.,  and  Grace  his  wife,  Bradwall 
Dec.  27.     Grace  D'  of  John  Icrvis  Esq.  &  Grace  his  wife,  Bradwall,  bapt. 
[-7],  Mar.  10.     Jane  D' of  John  Jervis  Esq.  &  Mary  his  wife,  Bradwall,  bapt. 
Dec.  2S.     Mary  Dau.  of  J.  Jervis  Esq.  and  Grace  his  wife,  Bradwall,  bur. 
Nov.  2.     Grace  D'  of  Jno.  lervis  Esq.  and  Grace  his  wife,  Bradwall,  bur. 
[-3],  Jan.  10.     Alice  D'  of  lohn  lervis  Esq.  Bradwall,  bur. 
April  27.     Jane  D'  of  M"  Jervis  wid.  Bradwall,  bur. 
.Mar.  23.     Grace  D'  of  M'"  Jervis  wid.  Darlaston,  from  London,  Inir. 
Sept.  13.      Miss  Mary  Jervis,  Knightsbridge,  bur. 


BRADWALL  TOWNSHIP.  141 


and  heir,  John,  baptised  at  Sandbach,  5th  Dec.  172 1,  and  oUier  children,  as  shown  in  the 
foregoing  pedigree.  His  wife  Grace  was  buried  at  Sandbach,  2Sth  Dec.  1 729,  and  he 
subsequently  married  again  and  had  issue  by  Mary,  his  second  wife.  His  burial  is  recorded 
in  the  Sandbach  Registers  on  the  3rd  March,  1747-8,  as  "John  Jervis  Esq.  Bradwall,"  that  of 
his  son  and  successor  being  entered  on  the  27th  March,  1755,  as  "John  Jervis  Esq""  of 
Darlaston  Staffordshire." 

On  the  9th  June,  1S02,  the  Bradwall  estate  was  conve>-ed  by  the  trustees  and  mortgagees 
of  John  Jervis,  Esq.,  to  John  Latham,  Esq.,  M.D.,  and  it  remained  in  the  possession  of  his 
descendants  till  the  year  1888. 

The  Latham  family,  as  shown  in  the  accompanying  pedigree,  are  descended  from  a 
branch  of  the  old  family  of  that  name,  which  was  seated  at  Congleton  for  many  generations. 
John  Latham,  clerk,  rector  of  Church  Lawton,  co.  Chester,  from  1682  to  his  death  in  1705, 
had  a  son  and  heir,  JOHN  Latham,  clerk,  minister  of  Bunney,  co.  Notts,  and  of  Woolstrop,  co. 
Leicester,  whose  eldest  son,  John  L.VTHAM,  B.A.  (of  Oriel  College,  O.xford),  was  curate  of 
Siddington,  co.  Chester,  from  1748  to  his  death  in  1783.  He  married  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Richard  Fodmore  of  Sandbach,  and  their  eldest  son,  John  Latha.m,  born  at  the  Rectory, 
Gawsworth,  29th  Dec.  1761,  became  in  1802  the  purchaser  of  Bradwall.  He  was  a  ver\' 
distinguished  physician  in  London,  and  was  elected  President  of  the  Royal  College  of 
Physicians  of  London  in  18 14.  He  died  at  Bradwall  Hall,  20th  April,  1843,  aged  82,  and  was 
buried  at  Sandbach."'  By  his  marriage  with  Mary,  eldest  daughter  and  co-heiress  of  the  Rev. 
Peter  Mayer,  Vicar  of  Prestbury,  he  had  five  sons  and  four  daughters.  His  eldest  son  and 
heir,  John  L.\THAM,  of  Bradwall,  Esq.,  D.C.L.,  was  Fellow  of  All  Souls'  College,  Oxford,  and 
his  second  son,  -Peter  Mere  Latham,  I\LD.,  was,  like  his  father,  a  distinguished  physician." 
John  Latham,  Esq.,  died  on  the  30th  Jan.  1853,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  eldest  surviving 
son,  George  William  Latham,  Esq.,  who  died  there  on  the  4th  Oct.  1886. 

John  Latham,  Esq.,was  the  author  of"  English  and  Latin  Poems,  Original  and  Translated," 
which  were  printed  for  private  circuation  " /«  metiioriain"  in  1853.°  To  them  is  prefixed  a  \ery 
interesting  memoir  of  the  author,  who  was  a  man  of  great  mental  culture,  but  condemned 
by  misfortune  to  lead  a  very  inactive  life.  He  was  born  at  Oxford,  where  his  father  was  then 
practising  as  a  physician,  on  the  i8th  March,  1787,  and  at  the  earl>'  age  of  five  yeais  was  sent 
to  Macclesfield  Grammar  School,  of  which  Dr.  Da\id  Da\ies,  a  vcr\-  distinguished  man,  was  then 
head-master.  Here  he  n niaincd  till  1S03,  being  a  vcr\-  favourite  pupil  of  his  master's,  and 
remarkable  for  his  Latin  compositions,  both  in  prose  and  verse.  In  Januarv',  1804,  when 
not  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  entered  Brasenose  College,  Oxford,  and  in  1806  won  the  prize 
for  Latin  verse,  the  subject  being  "  Trafalgar."  He  took  his  degree  in  Michaelmas  term,  1806, 
and  was  elected  a  Fellow  of  All  Souls'  College.     He  was  destined  for  the  law,  and  was  entered 

"1  .■\n  account  of  Dr.  Latham  will  be  fouiicl  in  the  Gentleman's  Magazine  for  that  year. 

"  Dr.  Peter  Mere  Latham  died  at  his  house,  near  Torquay,  20th  July,  1875,  aged  87.  He  was  educated  at  Oriel  CoUefre, 
Oxford,  and  took  his  M.D.  degree  in  1S09.  He  was  physician  to  .St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
was  the  senior  P'ellow  of  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians.  He  was  also  appointed  one  of  the  Ph}sicians  Extraordinary  to  the 
(Jueen. 

°  "  English  and  Latin  Poems,  Original  and  Translated.  By  the  late  John  Latham,  D.C.L.,  of  Bradwall  Hall,  Cheshire. 
'  In  Memoriam.'  Not  Published  mdccclhi."  .Small  Svo.  Title.  Contents,  4  pp.  iNIemoir,  xxxvi  pp.  Poems,  249  pp. 
Many  of  the  poems  in  this  volume  appeared  in  1S36  in  an  anonymous  volume  entitled  '"  Poems,  Original  and  Translated. 
Sandbach  :  Printed  for  R.  Lindop.  1S36."  T.all  Svo.  pp.  85.  These  Poems  were  printed  "at  the  request  of  the  principal 
promoter  of  a  Bazaar,  to  be  held  at  Sandbach,  in  aid  of  a  fund  for  the  biulding  of  two  Chapels  in  populous  and  remote 
districts  of  that  Parish  ;  and  if  the  publication  should  in  any  measure  contribute  10  so  laudable  an  object,  every  wish  of  the 
Writer  will  be  lulhlled." 


142 


SAXDBACH. 


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144  SANDBACH. 


at  Lincoln's  Inn,  but,  taking  cold  one  night,  severe  inflammation  of  the  eyes  set  in,  which 
could  not  be  cured,  and  at  the  beginning  of  1807  he  became  all  but  blind  for  ever.  There  was 
just  sufficient  sight  in  one  e}-e  to  guide  his  steps,  but  he  was  unable  to  read  a  printed  book 
again.  Under  this  sad  affliction  he  returned  to  All  Souls',  and  there  spent  several  months  of 
each  \-car  for  the  ne.xt  fourteen  years,  his  man\'  friends  reading  to  him  and  doing  their  best  to 
render  life  pleasant  to  him.  On  the  24th  May,  1821,  he  married  at  Crawley,  Hants,  Elizabeth 
Anne,  the  eldest  daughter  of  his  father's  friend,  .Sir  Henry  Dampier,  one  of  the  Judges  of  the 
Court  of  King's  Bench,  who  proved  a  most  devoted  wife.  In  1829  his  father,  Dr.  Latham, 
retiring  from  London  to  Bradwall,  John  Latham  followed  him  in  1832,  and  lived  at  Springfield, 
in  Sandbach,  a  few  minutes'  walk  from  Bradwall.  His  wife  died  very  suddenly  on  the  31st  May, 
1839,  and  a  few  years  later,  on  the  4th  July,  1843,  he  lost  his  eldest  son  and  heir,  John  Henry 
Latham,  then  just  twenty  _\-ears  of  age,  a  \-oung  man  of  fine  intellect  and  brilliant  prospects. 
Educated  at  home  by  his  father,  he  took  a  scholarship  at  Rugby,  when  fourteen  \-ears 
of  age,  and  in  1840  he  entered  Oxford,  where  he  was  elected  Craven  scholar,  and  in 
1843  \\as  "  pro.xime  acccssit  '  for  the  Ireland  Scholarship.  His  father  erected  a  beautiful 
window  to  his  memory  in  Sandbach  Church  (see  p.  32).  Mr.  Latham  died  on  the  30th 
Jan.  1 85 3,  after  an  illness  of  some  months'  duration,  and  was  buried  in  Sandbach 
churchyard;  "  c\cr)-  shop  and  house  was  closed  as  the  simple  funeral  procession  passed 
through  the  street." 

His  \-oungcr  son,  Francis  Law  Latham,  of  Brasenose  College,  won  the  Xewdigate  Prize  in 
1858  for  the  best  English  poem  on  "The  Discovery  of  the  North-west  Passage."  It  was 
recited   in  the  Theatre,  Oxford,  i6th   June,  1858,  and  afterwards   published. 

Gi:(.iRi;f.  \\'illl\m  L.\TII.\M,  Esq.,  who  succeeded  his  father,  was  born  in  London  on  the 
4lh  May,  1827.  He  was  educated  at  Brazenose  College,  O.xford,  whence  he  matriculated 
22nd  May,  1745,  aged  eighteen;  B.A.,  1849;  M.A.,  1852.  He  was  called  to  the  Bar  at  the 
Inner  Temple  in  1S52,  and  for  a  time  practised  on  the  Chester  and  North  Wales  circuit.  On 
ceasing  to  practise  he  went  to  live  at  Bradwall  Hall,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  affairs  of 
the  county,  particular!)'  in  relation  to  reformatory  and  industrial  schools,  one  of  which  he 
established  on  his  own  propert}'  at  Bradwall.  He  took  great  interest  in  agriculture  and 
farming,  and  was  an  active  member  of  the  Cheshire  Chamber  of  Agriculture.  In  politics  he 
was  an  enthusiastic  and  advanced  Liberal,  and  in  the  Parliamentary  election  of  1878  he 
contested  Mid-Cheshire  against  Col.  Egerton  Leigh,  by  whom  he  was  defeated  by  a  large 
majorit)-.  In  1880  he  again  contested  that  constituency,  and  once  more  in  18S3,  but  was 
defeated  on  both  occasions,  but  by  reduced  majorities.  In  1885  he  was,  however,  elected 
Member  of  Parliament  for  the  Crewe  division,  defeating  his  opponent,  Mr.  O.  Leslie  Stephen,  a 
director  of  the  London  and  North-Western  Railway,  by  808  votes.  At  the  next  election,  in 
June,  1886,  he  could  not  again  offer  himself  as  a  candidate,  owing  to  serious  ill-health,  and  on 
the  4th  Oct.  in  that  \-ear  he  died  at  Bradwall  Hall. 

The  Bradwall  Hall  estate  was  sold  in  November,  1S8S,  being  purchased  by  Thomas 
Ikirlow,  Esq.,  of  Torkington,  near  Stockport.  The  descent  of  the  Latham  lamily,  who  held 
this  estate  for  over  eighty  years,  is  shown  in  the  ])edigree  on  pp.  142-3. 

Br.\1i\V.\li.  H.\I,l,  which  is  now  a  large  white  house  with  no  architectural  features  of 
interest,  is  said  by  Dr.  Ormerod  to  have  been  "a  large  building  of  brick,  finished  with  gables, 
at  the  end  of  an  a\enue  of  firs  and  evergreens,"  which  had  been  enlarged  and  modernised 
from  time  to  time.     He  adds  that  there  were  in  the  Hall  some  interesting  portraits,  formerly 


BRADWALL  TOWNSHIP.  145 


belonging  to  the  Ardern  family,  of  Harden  Hall,  near  Stockport,P  "two  being  by  Garrard,  of 
Sir  John  Done,  of  Utkinton  [died  1629],  and  his  wife  Mary  [sic  for  Dorothy]  Wilbraham,  of 
Woodhey  [died  1636]  ;  their  daughters,  Jane  [Done]  and  Mary  [Done]  wife  of  John  Crewe, 
Esq.,  M.P.,  the  latter  by  Mary  Beale  and  Eleanor  [Done],  wife  of  Ralph  Arderne,  Esq."  There 
were  also  portraits  by  Jackson,  R.A.,  of  John  Latham,  Esq.,  M.D.,  and  his  wife,  Mary  [Mayer]. 
The  former  of  these,  it  is  said,  "  was  engraved  by  Sievier  and  represents  him  in  the  costume  of 
the  President  of  the  College  of  Physicians,  to  which  office  he  was  elected  in  1S14  "  (see  p.  141 ). 
These  portraits  were  not  sold  at  the  recent  sale,  and  are  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Latham, 
the  widow  of  the  late  G.  W.  Latham,  Esq.  A  domestic  chapel  is  said  by  Dr.  Ormerod  to  have 
been  anciently  attached  to  the  Hall,  being  situated  to  the  north  of  the  present  building,  the 
foundations  of  which  existed  at  the  beginning  of  this  century.  The  inclosure  of  "  the  Chapell 
yord,"  he  adds,  is  noticed  in  the  pleadings  relating  to  Bradwall  in  Harl.  MS.  2,007,  f  142.  This 
chapel,  however,  is  not  mentioned  in  Sir  Peter  Leycester's  list  of  domestic  and  private  chapels 
in  Cheshire,'!  and  I  have,  so  far,  not  met  with  any  reference  to  it. 

The  manor  of  Bradwall,  which,  as  already  explained,  was  held  by  the  Venables,  Barons  of 
Kinderton,  passed  with  their  estate,  and  was  sold  in  1807  to  Dr.  Latham,  who  at  the  same 
time  purchased  a  small  estate  in  this  township  from  them.  The  Court  Leet  and  Court  Baron 
formerly  held  for  this  manor  have  been  discontinued  since  about  1820.  The  common  lands  in 
this  township  were  enclosed  in  181 1. 

A  hamlet  named  HoPE  in  this  township  is  referred  to  at  an  early  period.  By  a  charter 
without  date,  and  so  before  the  year  1300,  William  de  Venables,  former!)'  son  and  heir  of  Sir 
Roger  de  Venables,  confirms  the  gift,  which  Hugh  de  Venables,  formerly  son  of  Sir  William 
de  Venables,  had  made  to  Reginald,  his  son,  of  the  fourth  part  of  Hope,  according  to  the 
tenour  of  the  charter  which  the  said  Hugh  made  to  the  said  Roger  ;  these  being  witnesses  : 
Sir  {dfio)  Thomas  de  Dutton,  Sir  {dilo)  John  de  Sandbach,  Richard  Starki,  Ralph  de  Norton, 
Raufde  Brereton,  John  de  Oueloc  [Wheelock],  Richard  de  Bradwall,  and  Richard  Dodefyne.' 
This  Reginald  appears  to  have  called  himself  after  the  name  of  his  estate,  and  in  1309,  William, 
the  son  of  Reginald  de  Hope,  occurs.^  In  the  next  century,  i  Edward  I\'.,  1461,  Richard  del 
Hope  grants  to  John,  his  son,  certain  lands  in  Bradwall' 

HOLLINS  is  a  small  hamlet  in  this  township.  In  1589  there  is  mention  of  "  a  watercorn 
milne  in  Bradwall,  called  Hollynwood  milne  "  and  "  Hollin  Wood  in  Bradwall,  formerly  called 
Bradwall  Wood."  In  the  list  of  Cheshire  Freeholders  in  1579,  Richard  Halton  of  Hollins 
occurs.^' 

In  167 1  the  following  list  of  the  Freeholders  in  Bradwall  township  was  drawn  up  [Harl. 
MS.  2,010)  :— 

BradwaU.     .   .' Venables,  Baron  of  Kinderton,  chief  Lord.     M''  Oldfield  hath  the 

manor  house  by  marriage  of  Berrington's  co-heir ;  it  oweth  suit  and  service  to  Kinderton  Court. 

P  For  an  account  of  this  family  see  Eas/  Cheshire,  vol.  i.  pp.  461-4S0. 
•i  Sir  Peter  l^eyceiiex's  Historical  Anli,iuzlies,  1673,  p.  194. 
■■  Kinderton  Chartulary,  Liber  H,  Tabley  MSS.  deed  No.  47. 
'  Kinderton  Chartulary,  Liber  H,  Tabley  MSS.  deed  No.  75. 
■  Harl.  A/S.  2,077. 

»  Harl.  MS.  2,007,  f-  S5/',  in  the  dispute  between  Thomas  Venables,  Baron  of  Kinderton,  and  Philip  Oldfield,  "learned 
in  the  lawes,"  concerning  the  manor  of  BradwaU. 
'  Harl.  MS.  1,988,  f.  193,  &c. 

U 


146  SANDBACH. 


Thomas  Oldfield  of  Bradwall  Esq  ;  Randle  ffurnivall  gent ;  "  Stephen  Kent  gent  ;  Richard  Sutton 

gent  ;  William  Hatton  of  Marsh-greene  in  Bradwall ;  William  Hodgekinson  of  Brereton  ;  John 

Pever;  John  Whittingham  in  Moresbarrow  ;  John  Crew  of  Crew  Esq  late  Joseph  Minshulls. 

At  the   time   of  the   Sandbach  Tithe   Defence  Fund,  1828-1835,  the  chief  landowners  in 

Bradwall  were  John  Latham,  Esq.,  M-D.  (by  far  the  largest)  ;  the  Rt.  Hon.  Lord  Vernon  ;  the 

Rt.  Hon.  Lord  Crowe  ;  Daniel  Vawdrey,  Esq.  ;    Peter  Vawdrey,  Esq.;  Richard  Galley  Jackson, 

Esq.  ;  the  executors  of  John  Lowe  ;    the  executors  of  John  Sutton  ;  Mr.  William  Dean  ;   Mr. 

James  Moss  ;  and  Cambridge  University. 

An  interesting  find  of  Roman  coins  took  place  in  or  near  this  township  in  the  year  1820, 
u  hich  is  thus  described  by  Dr.  Ormcrod  : — •"  A  mole-catcher  working  at  Brereton,  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  Brindlej-  Moor's  Farm  and  about  four  miles  direct  from  the  Roman  station  at 
Kindcrton,  at  a  point  where  a  small  brook  is  crossed  b)-  the  footpath  from  Brereton  to  Sandbach, 
stiuck  his  paddle  against  something  resembling  a  mass  of  fused  metal,  contained  in  a  decayed 
box,  but  afterwards  found  to  consist  of  about  a  thousand  Roman  coins,  bound  together  by 
verdigris  and  rust.  Nearly  600  of  them  are  in  my  possession,  which  are  partly  broken  and 
corroded,  and  partly  good  specimens  of  the  denarii  aerii  of  Gallienus,  Claudius  II.,  the  Tetrici, 
Victorinus  and  Diocletian."  " 

"  In  the  list  of  the  kniglits,  esquires,  and  freeholders  in  Cheshire  in  1579,  the  name  of  "  William  ffurnivall  of  Bradwall '' 
occurs. 

•  Communicated  by  Dr.  Ormerod  to  the  Aichtcologia  Caml'irnsis,  vol.  ii.  p.  181.  In  a  letter  printed  in  the  TnDisaitioiis 
of  the  Historic  Society  of  Lancashire  and  Cheshire,  vol.  ii.  pp.  212-13,  h^  says  these  corns  were  found  "  near  the  edge  of  Brad- 
wall in  Cheshire,"  and  that  "  the  actual  gravel  bank  "  of  the  line  of  the  Roman  road  from  Kinderton  towards  Chesterton  in 
.Staffordshire  was  found  "  in  the  Brindley  Moor's  Farm  within  the  estate  of  my  relative,  Dr.  Latham,  to  the  east  of  Bradwall 
Hall."  Of  these  coins  507  were  presented  to  the  Museum  of  the  Historic  Society  of  Lancashire  and  Cheshire,  at  Liverpool, 
by  Dr.  Ormerod  in  1S50,  but  now  only  140  appear  to  be  preserved  there.     (.See  Watkin's  Roman  Cheshire,  p.  311.) 


BETCHTON    TOWNSHIP. 


147 


JTttton  nf  ©alDS'toort^. 


JBabrnpart  nf  ?i)fiiburu 


33ftrI)ton  Cohjn£iI)i}3. 


^HIS  township  is  unnoticed  by  name  in  the  Domesday  Survc}-,  1086,  but  it  is  not 
improbable  that  it  is  to  be  identified  with  one  of  the  two  divisions  of  Eteshale 
referred  to  under  Hassall.  It  certainly  passed  with  that  township  to  the 
Aldithelegh  or  Audley  family,  as  part  of  the  barony  of  Xantwich,  which  fell  to 
the  share  of  Eleanor  de  Malbanc.  Under  the  Audleys,  Betchton  was  held  b}-  a 
family,  which  bore  the  local  name,  but  of  whom  comparatively  little  is  now 
known.  According  to  Williamson's  Villare  Cestriense,  in  an  Inquisition  taken  i  Edward  II. 
[1307-8],  it  was  returned  that  JMattlieiv  de  Becheton  had  died  seised  of  the  vill  of  Betchton,  held 
from  Thomas,  son  of  Nicholas  de  Audley,  by  knight's  service  and  the  rent  of  2s.  per  annum. 
This  Matthezu  de  Becheton  occurs  as  a  witness  to  a  charter  dated  1294,  and  a  namesake  (?  his 
son)  occurs  frequently  in  the  early  part  of  the  fourteenth  century/  In  the  11  Edward  II. 
[1317-18]  a  fine  was  levied  in  the  Court  of  Chester,  before  Hugh  de  Audley,  Justiciary  of 
Chester,  between  Matt/iezu  de  Becheton  and  Aiiuxbil  or  Anabell,  Ids  i^'ife,  and  Richard  de  Norton, 
chaplain,  concerning  the  manor  of  Becheton,  which  was  acknowledged  to  be  held  by  the  said 
Richard,  as  of  the  gift  of  the  said  Matthew  and  Anabell,  in  trust  for  them  for  their  lives, 
with  remainder   to   Ellen,  daughter  of    William  de  Becheton,  and   the   heirs   of  her  body,  with 

'  Argent,  a  canton  Gules,  over  all  on  a  bend  Azure  three  garbs  Or. 

''  Argent,  a  chevron  between  three  cross-crosslets  fitchee  Sable,  an  annulet  of  the  field  for  difference.  The  crest,  a 
felon's  head  couped  proper,  round  the  neck  a  halter  Or. 

'  In  the  Rode  deeds  he  occurs  as  a  witness  in  1314,  1330,  J342,  and  Robert,  son  of  Matthcn'  de  Becheton  occurs  in  ijj'^' 
Henry  de  Becheton  and  Peter  de  Becheton  occur  as  witnesses  to  deeds  without  date. 

U    2 


148  SANDBACH. 


remainder  to  Robert,  son  of  Matthew  de  Beclietoii;^  remainder  to  John,  brother  of  the  said 
Robert,  remainder  to  Adam,  brother  of  the  said  Jolin,  remainder  to  the  right  heirs  of  the  said 
Matthew.''  This  Ellen  subsequently  married  Peter,  a  younger  son  of  Jolin  de  Legh  of  Booths, 
near  Knutsford,  and  two  fines  were  levied  to  settle  the  estate.  In  the  lo  Edward  III.,  1336,  a 
fine  was  levied  in  the  court  of  Chester  before  Hugh  de  Frene,  Justiciary  of  Chester,  John  de 
Arderne,  Peter  de  Thorneton,  William  de  Boydcll,  William  de  Brereton,  knights,  John  de 
Wettenhall,  William  de  Praers,  and  Thomas  Daniers,  esquires,  between  Matthew  de  Becheton 
and  Amabil,  his  wife,  and  Peter,  the  son  of  John  de  Legh,  and  Ellen,  his  wife,  plaintiffs,  against 
Robert,  son  of  Matthew  de  Becheton,  defendant,  concerning  iS  messuages,  100  acres  of  land, 
2  acres  of  meadow-,  and  2  acres  of  brushwood  in  Becheton,  which  were  to  be  held  by  the  said 
Matthew  and  Amabil  for  their  lives,  paying  a  yearly  rent  of  seven  marks  to  the  said  Robert  for 
his  life,  and  after  their  death  to  the  said  Peter  and  Ellen  and  their  heirs,  with  remainder  to 
the  right  heirs  of  the  said  Robert.  A  similar  fine  was  levied  the  same  j-ear  to  which  John, 
son  of  Matthew  de  Becheton,  was  a  party,  and  7  messuages,  60  acres  of  land,  4  acres  of 
meadow,  and  3  acres  of  brushwood  were  assured  to  the  said  Peter  de  Legh  and  Ellen,  his  wife, 
after  the  death  of  Matthew  de  Beclieton  and  Amabil,  his  \\ifc.'  A  few  isolated  notices  of  the 
Betchtons  subsequently  occur.-  A  family  of  the  name  of  Bcchinton  is  also  met  with 
at  this  period  holding  lands  in  West  Cheshire,  in  Stourton  ''  in  Wirrall  Hundred,  Poulton 
Lancclin,'  Calvely,''^  &c.     A  Henry  de  Bcchinton  was  Prior  of  Birkenhead  in  1342. 

Pktkr  de  LeCiH,  of  Betchton,  had  two  daughters  and  co-heirs,  Margaret,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Thomas  Fitton  of  Gawsworth,  and  Elizabeth,  who  married  John  Davenport  of 
Henbury,  and  the  manor  of  Betchton  was  divided  between  them. 

The  moiety  which  fell  to  the  FiTTONS  remained  in  that  family  for  many  generations,  and  is 
duly  referred  to  on  the  Iiiqiiisitioues post  iiiorteiii,  &c.  In  an  Inquisition  taken  at  Macclesfield 
before  Adam  de  Kyngeslegh,  Escheator,  7th  May,  20  Richard  II.  [1397],  it  was  returned  that 
Thomas  IA-t<jn  of  Gouseworth  had  died  seised,  by  the  law  of  England,  after  the  death  of 
Margaret,  the  daughter  of  Peter  de  Legh,  late  the  wife  of  the  said  Thomas,  as  of  the  right  of 
the  said  Margaret,  of  the  half  of  the  manor  of  Becheton,  ^\■ith  all  its  appurtenances,  held  of 
Elizabeth,  who  was  the  wife  of  Nicholas  de  Audelegh,  knt.,  by  knight's  service,  and  that  the 
same  was  worth  20  marks  per  annum.'  In  the  Inquisition  after  the  death  of  Sir  Lawrence 
Fyton,  knt.,  taken  at  Chester,  in  the  Prince's  Castle  there,  the  Tuesday  ne.xt  after  the  feast  of 
Easter,  37  Henry  VI.  [1459],  he  is  stated  to  have  held  15  messuages,  200  acres  of  land,  40  acres 
of  meadow,  and  40  acres  of  wood   in    Becheton.'     Owing  to  this  return  being  disputed,  these 

■^   Kolh-rt,  son  of  Matll:cw  dc  Baluion,  occurs  on  the  C/ushin  Pica  Rolls  in  1321,  1325,  and  1329. 

<■  Booth  MSS.  Clicsliire  Finos. 

'  Booth  M-SS.  CkcsJiire  Fines. 

•■'  Roger,  ton  of  Roger  de  Morton,  and  Maiota,  daughter  of  Thomas  de  Bcchton,  his  wife,  occur  4  Henry  TV.  [1404-5]. 
Hugh  de  Bechton,  of  Congleton,  was  a  witness  to  a  deed  in  8  Heniy  IV.  [1406-7].  In  ihe  14  Richard  II.,  1390-1,  a  tine 
was  levied  Ijetween  William  de  Becheton  and  Katherine,  his  wife,  of  lands  in  Bradwall  and  Budworth  in  le  Frytli.  Again,  in 
1422  in  the  Congleton  charters,  Margery,  late  wife  of  Hugh  de  Becheton,  Thomas,  son  of  Hugh  de  Becheton,  and  Alex.ander, 
.son  of  Thomas  de  Becheton,  senior',  occur. 

''  John  de  Bechinton  and  Agnes,  his  wife,  by  a  charter  dated  at  Storlon  in  Wyral,  34  Edward  I.  [1306],  grant  a  serf  to 
Simon,  our  son,  with  remainder  to  Philip,  our  son,  remainder  to  Roger,  our  son  (Booth  MSS.  Liber  F,  f.  163/').  In  this 
year  a  fine  was  levied  between  Simon,  son  of  John  de  Bechinton,  and  John  de  Bechinton  and  Agnes,  his  wife,  of  lands,  &c. , 
in  Storcton,  &c.  Simon  de  Bechinton  and  Sara,  his  wife,  w-ere  living  7  Edw.  III.  [1333].  His  Inquisition /i7.f/' w(7;Y('w  was 
taken  in  1349,  and  that  of  Wdliam  de  Bechinton  in  1362,  in  both  of  which  the  manor  of  Little  Storton  is  mentioned. 

'  In  1295  a  fine  was  levied  between  John  de  Bechinton  and  Henry  de  Bechinton  and  .-Mice,  his  wife,  of  lands  in  Poulton 
Lancelin,  &c. 


*■   Robert  de  Becheton,  living  1329,  had  lands  in  Calvely. 

'  Cheshire  Inquisitioncs post  iiioiicm,  Public  Record  Office,  London. 


BETCHTON   TOWNSHIP.  149 


lands  were  taken  into  the  hands  of  the  Earl  of  Chester,  and  were  leased  to  the  heir,  Thomas 
Fyton,on  19th  July,  1459."  On  his  death  it  was  found,  9  Henry  VH.  [1494],  that  he  had  died 
seised,  in  demesne  as  of  fee,  of  the  half  of  the  manor  of  Becheton,  held  of  James,  lord  of 
Audeley,  in  socage,  by  the  rent  of  I2d.  per  annum,  the  same  being  worth  20  marks  per  annum. 
The  Inquisition  on  the  death  of  Edward  Fitton,  Esq.,  taken  at  Knottcsford,  6th  March, 
2  Henry  VIII.  [151 1],  states  that  he  died  seised  in  fee  of  the  half  of  the  manor  of  Becheton, 
and  that  he  had  granted  certain  lands,  part  of  the  said  manor,  to  Randle  Fitton,  Rector  of 
Gowesworth,  and  John  Deane,  chaplain,"  in  trust  for  the  use  of  John  Fitton,  one  of  his  younger 
sons,  for  his  life.  Also  that  by  a  charter  dated  5th  September,  14  Henry  VH.  [1498],  he  had 
granted  certain  other  messuages  and  lands,  part  of  the  said  half  manor  of  Becheton,  to  the 
said  Randle  Fitton,  Hugh  Smyth,  rector  of  Brereton,  Richard  Kenworthy,  and  the  said  John 
Deane,  in  trust  to  hold  the  same  to  the  use  of  Ellen,  daughter  of  Sir  Andrew  Brereton,  knt., 
for  her  life,  with  reversion  to  John  Fitton,  senior,  son  and  heir  apparent  of  the  said  Edward. 
The  remainder  of  the  said  half  manor  he  was  holding  at  the  time  of  his  death.  The  said  half 
manor  was  held  of  the  heirs  of  James,  late  lord  of  Audeley,  in  socage,  by  a  rent  of  I2d.  per 
annum,  the  whole  of  the  half  manor  being  worth  20  marks. 

This  estate  is  also  mentioned  in  the  Inquisition /cj/ ;;wr/(?;«  of  John  Fitton,  Esq.,  taken 
at  Chester,  9th  March,  16  Henry  VIII.  [1525],  in  that  of  Sir  Edward  Fitton,  knt,  taken 
at  Northwich,  2nd  April,  2  Edward  VI.  [1548],  and  in  that  of  Sir  Edward  Fitton,  knt.,  taken  at 
Nether  Knottesford,  21st  Jan.  22  Elizabeth  [1580],  in  each  of  which  it  is  stated  to  be  held 
of  Lord  Audeley  as  part  of  the  manor  of  Audeley.  According  to  Williamson's  Villarc 
Cestriense,  it  was  sold  by  Sir  Edward  Fitton,  knt.,  in  the  35th  Elizabeth  [1593],  to  Thomas 
Egerton,  Esq.,  for  ^1,000,  and  it  was  subsequently  sold  in  small  lots  to  the  freeholders,  who 
used  to  appoint  four  of  their  number  as  joint  lords  of  the  manor  ;"  who  held  a  Court  Leet 
and  a  Court  Baron  for  the  same. 

The  other  moiety  of  this  township  which,  as  already  stated,  passed  to  the  DAVENPORTS  of 
Henbury  is  not  referred  to  in  their  Inquisitiones  post  mortem  at  quite  so  early  a  date  as  that 
of  the  Fittons.  From  an  entry  on  the  Recognizance  Rolls,  one  of  that  family  seems  to  have 
been  resident  here  at  the  end  of  the  fourteenth  century,  Thomas  de  Davenport  of  Bcchtoii 
being  one  of  the  commissioners  appointed,  3rd  Feb.  1385-6,  to  arrest  disturbers  of  the  peace 
in  Northwich  Hundred.  On  the  24th  Feb.  in  the  same  year,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 
Justices  of  the  Eyre  to  be  held  at  Macclesfield,  and  on  the  12th  Aug.  1386,  he  was  re-appointed 
to  the  same  office.  He  is  probably  the  same  person  who  was  appointed  Justice  of  Chester  on 
the  7th  Jan.  1387-S,  and  re-appointed  several  times  in  that  year.  The  Inquisition  post  mortem 
of  Hugh  de  Davenport  of  Henbury,  who  died  in  August,  141 5,  states  that  he  died  seised  of 
"two  parts  of  a  moiety  of  the  manor  of  Becheton  held  of  James  lord  of  Audeley,  in  capite,  by 
knight's  service,  the  same  being  worth  ^4  per  annum,"  and  on  the  9th  Oct.  1417,  "two  parts" 
of  this  estate  were  granted  on  lease  to  William  de  Hondford  to  hold,  till  the  coming  of  age 
of   Thomas,    son    and    heir    of  the    said    Hugh.'"     In    the    Inquisition  post   mortem    of   John 


"  In  the  Inquisition  post  mortem,  Liken  1525,  the  date  of  this  grant  is  given  as  31st  May,  13  Henry  VIE.  [149S],  and  the 
messuages  in  Becheton  were  then  in  the  tenure  ot  Alice,  late  wife  of  Hugh  Shawe,  William  Shawe,  and  Richard  Chartley. 

"  In  1S17  the  then  lords  were  the   Rev.    Richard  Levett,   Mr.  John  Wilson,  Mr.  Thomas  Summerfield,  and  Mr.  John 
Podmore. 

p  Clieshire  Recos;nizance  Rolls. 


SANDBACH. 


Davenport,  I-lsq.,  taken  at  Northwich,  2nd  Aug.  4  and  5  Philip  and  Mary  [1557],  it  was 
returned  that  he  had  died  seised  of  a  messuage  and  lands  in  Betcheton,  held  of  the  King 
and  Queen,  as  of  their  manor  of  Newhall,''  by  knight's  service,  the  same  being  worth  26s.  8d. 
per  annum.  These  lands  are  mentioned  in  the  returns  after  the  deaths  of  Randle  Da\-enport, 
ICsq.,  and  John  Davenport,  Esq.,  taken  in  1619  and  1620  respectivelj-.  The  Inquisition  pos/ 
iiiortcin  of  William  Davenport,  Esq.,  taken  at  Che.ster,  29th  March,  14  Charles  [1638]  is  rather 
more  explicit,  as  he  is  there  said  to  have  died  seised  of  a  moiety  of  the  manor  of  Betchton, 
one  messuage,  called  Betchton  Hall,  100  acres  of  land,  20  acres  of  meadow,  and  80  acres  of 
jiasture  in  Betchton,  to  the  same  messuage  belonging,  and  a  similar  return  is  made  in  the 
Inquisition  of  William  Davenport,  Esq.,  taken  iSth  Sept.  1640.  These  returns  are  not  very 
easy  to  understand,  for  by  an  indenture  dated  i6th  Oct.  1602,  and  enrolled  on  the  Clieshirc 
Recognizance  Rolls,  Rondull  Davenport  of  Henbur)-,  and  William,  his  son  and  heir  apparent 
sold  "  the  manor  of  Becheton,"  and  messuages  there,  to  Hugh  Beeston  and  Geoffrey  Shakerley 
of  Holme,  Esq".  It  would  seem  most  probable  that  the  manorial  rights,  and  a  large  portion 
of  the  estate,  was  then  sold,  but  that  Betchton  Hall  and  200  acres  of  land  were  still  retained 
by  the  Davenports.  The  former  was  purchased  in  1609  from  Sir  Hugh  Beeston,  knt.,  by 
Richard  Wilbraham  of  Townsend,  near  Nantwich,  Esq.,  and  has  descended  to  G.  F. 
Wilbraham,  Esq.,  of  Delamere  House,  the  present  owner.  In  King's  Vale  Royall,  William 
Webb,  in  his  itinerary  of  Cheshire,  thus  speaks  of  Betchton  in  162 1  : — "  Bechton  a  good!}' 
large  Scignorj-,  the  most  part  of  which  hath  been  in  the  possession  of  the  Ancestors  of 
the  Davenports  of  Heiibury  men  of  great  place,  but  now  is  this  Betchton  parted  into  some 
other  owners,  and  one  great  part  of  it  [is]  the  present  inheritance  of  Tlioinas  Wilhraliam 
of  Xaniptioic/i  Esquire  formerly  mentioned." 

Betchton  Hall,  or  Betchton  House,  with  certain  lands,  belonged,  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  to  a  family  of  the  name  of  Leversage  (probably  of  a  younger 
line  of  the  Leversages  of  Leversage),  from  whom  it  passed  to  the  Jacksons.  Richard  Jackson, 
of  Betchton  House,  gentleman,  was  married  at  Sandbach,  8th  May,  1703,  to  Elizabeth,  the 
only  daughter  of  William  Oldfield  of  Bradwall,  Esq.  (see  the  pedigree  on  p.  139),  by  whom 
he  had  a  large  fann'l}-.''  His  eldest  son,  the  Rev.  Richard  Jackson,  D.D.,  who  was  Prebendary 
of  York,  Lichfield,  and  Chester,  married  Anne,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Richard  Smalbroke,  D.D., 
Bishop  of  Lichfield  and  Coventry,  b}-  whom  he  had  an  only  son  and  heir,  the  Re\-.  Richard 
Oldfield  Jackson,  LL.B.,  \'icar  of  Colwich  and  Longdon,  co.  Staftbrd,  who  died  before  his 
father,  24th  Jan.  1792,  unmarried.  On  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Jackson,  in  November,  1796, 
the  Betchton  Hall  estate  passed  to  his  three  nieces,  the  daughters  of  ]\Ir.  William  Day  of 
Sandbach,  who  took  the  additional  name  of  Jackson. 

The  Hall,  which  is  picturesquely  situated  on  the  side  of  a  well-woodcd  valley,  is  built 
of  timber  and  plaster. 

A  family  of  the  name  of  FURNIVALL  held  a  small  estate  in  Betchton  for  man\-  }-ears. 
Their  names  occur  in  the  Sandbach  Registers,  and  at  Chester  are  preserved  the  wills  of  Randle 
Furnivall,  proved  15S5,  and  Mary  (his  widow)  proved  1604;  but  it  is  doubtful  if  these 
belong  to  the   Betchton    famil)-.     John   Furni\all  of  Betchton,  yeoman,  who   died    17th   No\-. 

1   Newhnll  w.is  one  of  the  se.ils  of  the  Audleys,  and  had  become  the  property  of  the  Crown  on  their  attainder. 

■■  His  will,  d.itcil  Mill  Sejit.  171S,  and  proved  at  Chester  29th  April,  1719,  is  sealed  with  an  armorial  seal,  a  cross  fleury 
between  4  martlets,  in  the  dexter  corner  a  crescent  fur  difference. 


FURNIVALL  OF  BETCHTON. 


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SANDBACH. 


1637,  was  brother  of  Anthony  Furnivall  of  Mihie  House  (now  Astle  Hall),  Chelford  (see 
East  Cliesliirc,  vol.  ii.  p.  362),  and  of  Hugh  Furnivall  of  Withington.  His  Inquisition  post  mortem, 
taken  on  the  i6th  Jan.  1637-S,  states  that  he  died  seised  of  certain  messuages  and  lands  in 
Haslington,  and  that  John  I-"urni\-all  was  his  son  and  heir.  His  will,  made  loth  Nov.  1637, 
was  proved  at  Chester  13th  Jan.  1637-8.  To  Hester,  his  wife,  he  left  "the  manor  house 
wherein  I  now  dwell,"  for  her  life,  but  if  she  marry  she  is  to  have  the  tenement  called 
"Capper  House"  instead.  There  are  man\-  bequests  to  relations  and  friends,  but  John 
Furnivall,  the  son,  is  the  only  child  of  the  testator  named.  No  other  references  to  this  family 
have  been  met  with  in  the  seventeenth  centur}-,  and  the  pedigree  is  consequently  defective, 
but  it  is  most  probable  that  the  JoilX  FURNIVALL  of  Betchton,  gent.,  who  was  buried  at 
.Sandbach,  8th  Oct.  17 17,  was  the  son  of  the  John  Furnivall,  found  heir  to  his  father  in  1637. 
In  his  will,  dated  1 2th  Sept.  17 1 7,  he  names  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  and  his  five  sons  and  four 
(laughters,  and  mentions  certain  deeds  of  settlement  referring  to  his  Lovelane  estate,  &c.^ 
His  eldest  son  and  heir,  W'lLLLVM  FUKXI\"ALL  of  Betchton,  gent.,  born  c.  1696,  was  married 
at  Nantwich,  23rd  April,  1724,10  Margery,  }-oungest  daughter  of  William  Jackson,  Clerk  of 
the  Peace  for  the  county  of  Chester.  She  died  6th  March,  174S-9,  aged  44,  and  was 
buried  at  Sandbach,  the  tombstone  placed  to  her  memory  and  that  of  her  husband,  who 
died  25th  P'cb.  1763,  aged  6j,  being  still  in  the  church)-ard  (see  p.  42).  Their  eldest 
surviving  son,  JoiiX  FURXIVALL,  baptised  30th  April,  1741,  who  is  described  in  a  mural  tablet 
placed  to  his  memor}-  in  Sandbach  Church,  as  "of  Birchton,  co.  Stafford,  Esq.,  J. P.,  died 
29th  Aug.  1806,  aged  64"  (see  p.  34). 

Crkswallsuaw,  in  this  township,  which  formerly  formed  part  of  the  Hassall  estate,  is 
mentioned  in  a  deed  dated  iith  Ma}-,  32  Henr_\- VHI.  [1540],  b\' which  Richard  Hassall,  of 
Haiikelowe,  Esq.,  Ralph  Hassall  and  John  Hassall,  j-ounger  sons  of  the  said  Richard 
Hassall,  Esq.,  grant  to  William  Hassall,  son  and  heir-apparent  of  the  said  Richard, 
the  capital  messuage  called  "  le  Hall  dc  Creswalshawe "  and  Humphrey  Hassall  of 
Hankelowe,  was  appointed  attornc}-  to  deliver  seisin  [Hart.  Jl/S.  2,008,  f  114'')-  I'l  the 
seventeenth  century  it  was  in  the  occupation  of  a  family  named  Harden,  and  subsequently 
passed  to  the  Fletchers.  In  an  indenture  dated  30th  November,  22  James  [1624],  to  which 
Roger  Harden  of  Creswalshawe,  co.  Chester,  husbandman,  Richard  Smalwood  of  Sandbach, 
husbandman,  George  Harden  of  Keele,  co.  Stafford,  \\'heelwright,  and  Re\  nold  Fletcher  of 
Bi'adwall,  CO.  Chester,  jx-oman,  were  parties,  it  is  recited  that  Ralph  Hassall,  the  elder,  late  of 
Hankelow,  CO.  Chester,  Esq.,  deceased,  by  his  indenture  dated  the  20th  i\Iarch,  1 8th  James 
[1621],  had  granted  to  the  said  Roger  Harden,  all  that  messuage  in  Betchton  called  Creswal- 
shawe House,  then  and  now  in  the  occupation  of  the  said  Roger  Harden,  and  formerly  in  the 
tenure  of  George  Harden,  deceased,  his  father,  and  certain  closes  of  land,  to  hold  for  the  lives 
of  the  said  Roger  Harden,  and  Ann  and  Margaret  his  daughters,  at  a  yearly  rent.  Now  the 
said  Roger  Harden,  in  consideration  of  a  marriage  already  solemnised  between  John  Fletcher, 
son  and  heir  of  the  said  Re\-nold  Pletcher,  and  Ann,  his  wife,  eldest  daughter  of  the  said 
Roger  Harden,  and  in  consideration  of  /"240,  her  marriage  portion,  bj-  this  indenture 
grants  to  the  said  Richard  Smalwood  and  George  Harden  the  said  messuage,  lands,  &c.,  in 
trust  for  the  remainder  of  the  said  lease,  to  hold  the  moiety  of  the  same  to  the  use  of 
the  said    Roger  Harden  and  Eleanor,  his  wife,  for  their  lives,  and  the  other  moict}-  to  the  use 

"   lie  had  a  brother,  Joseph  Furnival  of  Bosley  (nenr  Congleton)  and  Arcliil,  gent.,    whose  will,  dated  29th  Nov.  1704, 
was  proved  at  Chester  20th  Oct.  1714.     lie  was  buried  at  Sandbach  51I1  June,  1714,  aged  4S.     (See  his  monument,  p.  34.) 


BETCHTON  TOWNSHIP.  153 


of  the    said    John   Fletcher    and    Ann,  his   wife,   and   their  heirs.      This  indenture    is   signed 
"  Roger  Horden." 

There  are  two  old  altar  tombs  still  in  the  church)-ard  at  Sandbach  (see  page  40),  com- 
memorating "John  Fletcher  the  elder  of  Creswallshawe,"  who  died  21st  Aug.  1660,  aged  59, 
and  John  Fletcher,  his  son  and  heir,  who  died  13th  Aug.  1655,  aged  29.  The  Fletchers  would 
appear  to  have  purchased  this  property,  and  after  the  death  of  Thomas  Fletcher,  of  Betchton, 
)-eoman,  who  died  before  1730,'  it  passed  to  his  two  daughters,  Ann  and  Sarah.  The  latter 
married  Joseph  Steele,  of  Blakenhall,  co.  Chester,  yeoman,  and  the  former  married  William 
Berrington,  of  Sandbach,  gentleman,  and  was  living  a  widow  in  173 1.  She  purchased  her 
sister's  share  in  1731,  and  Creswallshaw  passed  to  her  three  daughters  and  co-heirs,  Ann,  who 
married  William  Lowndes,  of  Sandbach,  gentleman  (see  pedigree,  page  123),  Sarah,  who  married 
....  Boult,  and  Ellen,  who  married  ....  Cooper.  In  her  will,  dated  15th  June,  1762,  Ann 
Lowndes  refers  to  this  estate,  and  states  that  her  late  sister,  Sarah  Boult,  of  Sandbach,  widow, 
by  her  will,  dated  19th  May,  1761,  had  left  it  in  trust  to  her,  her  heirs  and  assigns,  for  ever, 
subject  to  certain  small  annuities,  and  that  she,  the  said  Ann  Lowndes,  now  devised  it  to  her 
son,  William  Lowndes,  his  heirs  and  assigns,  for  ever.  Creswallshaw  is  now  a  farmhouse, 
and  I  am  told  is  locally  called  "  Crapclow." 

'  He  had  had  a  --on  and  heir,  John  Fletcher,  wlio  had  predeceased  him. 


'54 


SANDBACH. 


THE 


CHAPELRY    OF    HOLMES    CHAPEL. 


This  Chapelry  comprehends  three  Townships  : — 

(i)  HOLMES  CHAPEL  or  CHURCH   HUL^HI. 

(2)  COTTON. 

(3)  CRANAGE. 


pointed  Cjjnprl  Cotondljip* 


^E^s^yra  F  the  early  history  of  this  township  little  is  really  known.  It  is  not  mentioned  in 
ffifttjif^Yi  '^'"'c  Domcsda}-  Surve\-,  and  there  is  no  clear  evidence  as  to  who  were  the  chief 
I  Pi  '^^^11  'o""*^'^  i"  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries.  A  famil}-,  which  bore  the  local 
I  hvSJ'^fl  ''''^"ic  of  flulmc,  held  lands  here  in  the  thirteenth  century,  and  in  early  deeds. 
IrlMBiffiBiMMj  without  date,  the\'  are  spoken  of  as  lords  of  Hulme.  Among  the  deeds  in  the 
possession  of  Mr,  Amson  of  Middlewich,  in  1657,"  were  several  old  undatetl 
charters,  in  one  of  which,  of  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth  ccntun,-,  "  Hcnrj-  son  of  Orm,  lortl 
of  Hulm  "  grants  lands  in  this  township  to  "  Thomas  son  of  Randle  de  Cranlach  "  or  Cranage. 
The  witnesses  were  Richard,  lord  of  Sonbachc,  then  Sheriff  of  Cheshire,  Thomas,  then  parson 
of  Sonbachc,  John,  chaplain  of  Sonbach,  Abel,  then  chaplain  of  Gostrc,  and  others.  To  this 
deed  there  was  attached  a  large  seal  of  green  wax,  bearing  a  fleur-de-lis,  and  round  it  "  Sigill 
henric  fill  Orm  dc  Ulm."  This  Henry,  son  of  Orm  de  Hulme,  also  occurs  in  a  grant  by  Lidulph 
de  Twemlow,  Shcrift'  of  Cheshire,  which  office  he  held  in  the  6th  of  King  John,  1204.  Another 
deed  .states  that  "  William  son  of  Huva  de  llulm  "  h.id  granted  a  messuage  in  Hulm  to  Henry 
son  of  Thomas  de  Crawnach.  In  another  deed  ''  I  find  "  Henry  lord  of  Hulme"  and  "William 
son  of  Ilowa  dc  Hulme"  together  as  witnesses,  and  in  other  deeds  "Bertram  de  Hulme"  and 


new  c  iitior 

Wund,  K.S..\.,  of  Rugby 
''  Croxlon  tleeds. 


l/.V.  2,131,  r.  129,  copied  by  K.mdk-  Holme  "of  the  cilty  of  Chester  Alderman  .ind  Justice  of  Peace."     From  the 
I  Onnerod's  Hntoiy  oj  Cheshire  it  would  .Tppear   th.it  these  early  deeds  are  now  in"  the  possession  of  Mr.  R.  II. 


HOLMES  CHAPEL  TOWNSHIP.  155 

"  Thomas  de  Hulme  "  occur.  Bertram  de  Hulme  had  two  daughters,  Joan,  who  married  Henr)-, 
son  of  Thomas  de  Cranach,  and  Margery  or  Margaret,  who  married  VVilHam,  son  of  Adam,  the 
clerk,  both  of  whom  brought  lands  in  Church  Huhne  to  their  husbands.  The  latter's  land  was 
in  "  Alehulme,"  "  called  in  English  Hallehulmewode,"  and  from  it  her  descendants  probably  took 
the  name  of  Wood,  for  in  1 1  Edward  HL  [1337J.  Margaret,  daughter  of  Bertram  de  Hulme,  in 
her  widowhood,  grants  to  Roger,  son  of  Henry  del  Wode,  lands  in  Church  Hulme  which  hei' 
father  had  given  to  her.  Later  still  a  family  of  the  Hulmes  held  lands  in  Middlewich,  of  whom 
Hugh  de  Hulme  and  Alice,  his  wife,  were  living  there  in  137S  and  1402.  They  had  a  son, 
Roger  de  Hulme,  who  married  Matilda,  daughter  of  Adam  de  Bostock  (marriage  settlement 
dated  1402),  by  whom  he  had  a  daughter  and  heir,  Agnes  de  Hulme,  who  married  Thomas,  son 
of  William  de  Swettenham.  She  was  living  in  1427  unmarried,  when  she  had  the  lands,  which 
were  her  father's,  in  Middlewich,  Knutsford,  Hulme,  near  Brcreton  [?  Hulme  Walfield],  and 
Nantwich. 

The  family  of  the  Cranages  held  lands  in  this  township,  some,  as  already  shown,  having 
been  granted  them  by  the  Hulmes,  from  an  early  date,  and  many  of  their  deeds  referring  tn 
lands  here  arc  known."^  Hugh,  son  of  Thomas  de  Cranage  and  Cicely  his  wife,  who  had  lands 
here  from  his  father,  and  was  living  in  131 1  and  1319,  calls  himself  sometimes  Hugh  de 
Hulme,  as,  for  instance,  in  the  22  Edward  HI.,  1348,  when  Henry,  son  of  Roger  del  Clif  of 
Church  Hulme,  quitclaims  to  Hugh  de  Hulme,  the  land  which  Thomas  de  Crannache,  father 
of  the  said  Hugh,  had  of  the  gift  of  the  said  Roger  del  Clif  in  Church  Hulme.  In  1349  is  an 
interesting  deed  in  which  William,  son  of  Henry,  son  of  Thomas  de  Crannach,  grants  to 
Thomas  de  Coton  lands  in  Church  Hulme,  near  to  the  grange  of  the  Abbey  of  Dieulacres.'' 
The  chief  portion  of  the  lands  of  the  Cranages  probably  passed,  with  their  other  estates,  to 
the  Needhams,  as  see  under  Cranage  Township,  and  the  rest  were  sold  or  granted  a\\-ay  in 
small  lots.'^ 

Lands  in  Church  Hulme  were  held  by  the  family  of  the  Bulkeleys  of  Cheadle,  who  also 
held  messuages  and  lands  in  Middlewich  and  other  places  in  the  neighbourhood.  From  the 
Chesliire  Plea  Rolls  now  in  the  Record  Office,  London,  it  appears  that  in  the  loth  Edward  II- 
[1316],  Henry  de  Spaldshine  of  Tiverton  (son  of  Henry  de  Spaldshine  of  Minshull)  granted 
to  Robert  de  -Bulkelegh  and  Felice  his  wife  and  Richard  their  son  and  his  heirs  or 
assigns,  all  his,  the  said  Robert's,  right  and  claim  to  the  lands  and  tenements  in  Cherche 
Hulm,  which  the  said  Robert,  Felice,  and  Richard  had  by  demise  from  the  lord  Robert  de 
Montalt.  In  the  2nd  Richard  II.  [1378],  in  an  Inquisition  post  mortem  taken  that  year,  it 
was  returned  that  William  de  Bulkelegh  of  Cheadle  held  "half  of  the  manor  of  Hulm  "f  of 
Thomas  de  Swetenham,  of  Kermyncham,  by  knight's  service,  the  same  being  worth  per 
annum  lOOs.     This  was  probably  a  very  loosely-worded  return,  as  the  half  manor  of  Hulme 

'  See  H'ji-l.  MS.  2,039,  f-  243,  in  which  many  Cranach  deecU  relating  to  Church  Huhne  are  copied  from  Mr.  William 
Vernon's  collections. 

''  Harl.  MS.  2,131,  f.  129,  &c.  In  1322  Henry  de  Cranage  appointed  Richard,  his  son,  his  attorney  for  all  his  lands  in 
Church  Hulme,  Middlewich,  Twemlow,  &c.,  the  witnesses  being  Thomas  de  Cranach,  Henry  de  Coton,  Thomas  de  Coton, 
Richard  de  Hulme,  and  others  (Had.  MS.  2,039,  f.  243).  This  Heniy  was  the  son  of  Thomas  de  Cranage  and  Cicely  his 
wife,  and  he  married  Ellen,  daughter  of  William  VVilbraham  [ilnd.). 

=  The  family  of  Amson  of  Cranage  held  lands  here,  and  it  is  extremely  probable  that  their  lands  were  those  above- 
referred  to,  as  having  been  granted  by  the  Hulmes  to  the  Cranages,  and  so  it  happened  that  the  old  deeds  relating  to  them 
were  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  John  Amson  in  1657. 

'  In  printing  this  Inquisition  post  ntortcm  under  Cheadle  in  East  Cheshire,  vol.  i.  p.  171,  from  finding  this  plac- 
described  subsequently  as  "  Hulme  near  Davenport  "  (see  Inquisition /o-f/ worAv//,  1459),  I  conjectured  that  Hulme  Walfield 
might  be  meant,  but  it  appears  that  it  relates  to  Church  Hulme. 

X    2 


156  SAXDBACH. 


is  never  subsequently  mentioned.  In  37  Henry  VI.  [1459],  Margery  Mainwaring,  late  wife  of 
Richard  de  Bulkeley,  died  seised  of  6  messuages  and  I30  acres  of  land  in  "  Hulmc,  near 
Davenport,"  held  of  Randle  Mainwaring,  Esq.,  as  of  his  manor  of  Kermyncham.  Again,  in 
1488,  William  Bulkeley  died  seised  of  5  messuages  and  100  acres  of  land  in  Hulme,  worth 
£4;  and  in  1552,  Sir  Richard  Bulkle\-,  knight,  died  seised  of  5  messuages,  100  acres  of  land 
in  Churchc  !  lolme  held  of  the  King  in  socage,  as  of  his  barony  of  Halton,  and  worth  £6.  ys.  4d. 
pL-r  annum,  and  also  of  a  certain  place  near  and  upon  the  water  of  Whyloke  [Wheelock], 
where  is  built  a  water-mill.  In  the  22nd  Elizabeth,  15S0,  Sir  Richard  Bulkle)-,  knt.,  sold  his 
lands  here  to  Edward  Cotton  of  Cotton,  Esq. 

The  Cottons  held  lands  in  this  township  from  an  early  date.  In  the  2nd  Edward  II.  [1309], 
.\dam  de  Coton  and  Margaret  his  wife  granted  to  Henry,  son  of  Thomas  de  Cranach,  the  waste 
l.mds  of  Chcrche  Hulme,"  and  in  the  9th  Edward  II.  [1316],  a  fine  was  levied  between  Thomas, 
son  of  Adam  de  Coton,  and  Adam  de  Coton  and  Margaret  his  wife,  of  one  messuage,  13  acres 
of  land,  2  acres  of  moor,  and  half  an  acre  of  meadow  in  Chcrche  Hulm.''  A  grant  of  land  here 
to  Thomas  de  Coton  will  be  found  under  Cotton  Township,  and  in  1 367  a  fine  was  levied  between 
Robert,  son  of  William  de  Coton,  and  Henry,  son  of  Henry  de  Crannache  and  Ellen  his  wife,  of 
certain  tenements  in  Cherch  Hulm.''  In  the  Inquisition /oj/  inortcm  of  Edward  Cotton,  the  son 
of  the  purchaser  of  the  Bulkley  estates  here,  in  1619,  it  was  returned  that  he  had  died  seised 
"  of  the  manor  of  Hulme  alias  Church  Hulmc,  and  4  messuages,  and  100  acres  there,  held  of  the 
King  as  of  his  honour  of  Halton  by  knight's  service,  and  these  w-ere  worth  /,  10.  11*4''  per 
annum." 

When  the  estates  of  the  Cottons  were  subsequently  sold,  about  the  }-ear  1670  (as  sec  under 
Cotton  township),  the  manor,  and  a  certain  portion  of  the  lands  in  this  township,  were 
probably  purchased  by  the  Xecdhams,  and  the  rest  sold  in  small  portions.  Thus,  in  1671,'  it 
is  stated  that  in  Church  Hulme,  or  Hulmes  Chappell,  the  Lord  Kilmorey  (Sir  Robert  Needham 
had  been  so  created  in  1625)  was  "  lord  of  the  towne,"  and  that  [William]  Cotton  of  Cotton  was 
lord  and  patron,  whilst  the  names  of  the  freeholders  were  Thomas  Cotton  of  Cotton,  Esq., 
John  Leadbeater  of  Church  Hulme,  Thomas  Carter  of  Cranage,  William  Woodcock,  Thomas 
Sandilands,  William  Pierpoint  of  Marshlane  house,  John  Amson  of  Middlewich,  William 
Coghcn,  Roger  Burgess,  Rafe  Leadbeater  of  Hermitage,  and  ....  Woodcock.' 

On  the  24th  June,  1760,  the  then  Viscount  Kilmorey  sold  his  estates'^  here  to  the  trustees  of 
Thomas  Bayley  I  lall,  of  Hermitage,  Esq.,  then  a  minor.  They  remained  in  Mr.  Hall's  possession 
till  his  death,  in  1828,  when  they  were  sold  by  his  executors.  In  the  ad\'ertisement  of  the  sale 
the\-  are  described  as  "  the  manor  or  lordship  of  Holmes  Chapel,  containing  about  370  acres 
and  sundry  messuages  and  other  buildings  in  the  village  of  Holmes  Chapel."  A  large 
portion  was  purchased  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hodges,  and  is  now  in  the  possession  of  his 
descendants.  Other  portions  were  purchased  by  Lawrence  Armitstead,  of  Cranage,  Esq.,  and 
have    descended    to    his  nephew    and    heir,  the   Rev.    J.    R.   Armitstead,   Vicar   of  Sandbach. 


s  Harl.  A/S.  2,131. 

''   Clu-sJihr  r/,a  A'o/ls.      Record  Office. 

'  Harl.  MS.  2,010. 
Ill  the  Cheshire  Subsidy   Roll  for   1626,  tlie  only  person   mentioned   at    Hohiies  Chapel   is   William    D.ivy,  who  \va 
assessed  on  his  goods  £^.  13s.  4d. 

''  These  estates,  comprising  the  manors  of  Church   Hulme  and  Cranage,  had  been  sold  on  the   lOth   November,  1756,  t 
.Mr.  Richard  Holme,  of  Manchester,  but  some  disputes  arising  he  refused  to  accept  the  conveyance. 


HOLMES   CHAPEL   TOWNSHIP.  157 

J.  Morton  Toler,  Esq.,  who  married  Miss  Hodges,  is  an  extensive  landowner  in  this  township. 
His  residence,  Saltersford  Hall,  is  a  large  modern  house  a  little  way  out  of  the  village.' 

Lands  in  this  township  (sometimes  described  as  the  manor  of  Church  Hulme)  were  in  1745 
in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Jane  Bayley,  of  Nantwich,  widow,  having  been  either  purchased  by  her 
or  her  son,  Thomas  Bayley,  of  the  Inner  Temple,  London,  Esq.  (who  had  died  in  1740),  a  few 
years  previously.  She  by  her  will,  dated  the  i8th  September,  1745,  devised  this  estate,  together 
with  the  manor  of  Cotton  and  all  her  lands  in  these  two  townships  and  elsewhere,  in  trust  for  her 
son-in-law,  Thomas  Hall,  of  Hermitage,  Esq.,  for  his  life,  with  remainder  to  his  son  and  heir 
(her  grandson)  Thomas  Bayley  Hall  and  his  heirs  male  in  tail  male.  These  lands  were  sold 
with  his  other  estates  after  his  death. 

Webb,  in  his  Itinerary  of  Cheshire  (published  in  King's  I'aL'  Royall,  1656),  writing  in 
1 62 1,  says  : — 

"  We  come  next  to  Hoolines  Chappell  alias  Church  Hiiline,  which  is  a  member  of  the  Parish  ot 
Sandbach  and  a  place  well  known  by  the  Church  in  the  same  and  also  by  the  scituation,  being  a  baiting- 
place  in  the  great  Road  way  out  of  Lancashire  towards  London  :  And  where  also  that  bridge  is  built  by 
Jo  :  Nedham  Esquire,  whose  Heir  now  Sir  Robert  Nedham  of  Shavington  in  the  County  of  Salop,  knight. 
hath  here  a  Demean  and  fair  lands  in  this  Lordship." 

The  village  of  Holmes  Chapel  is  situated,  as  Webb  states,  on  the  high  road  out  of 
Lancashire,  and  "  the  Red  Lion "  was  an  old-established  inn  there  even  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  In  the  London  Gazette  for  8th  Aug.  1692,  is  this  advertisement  : — "  At  Hulms  Chapel 
in  Cheshire,  the  Red  Lyon  Inn,  a  good  accustomed  house  upon  a  great  road,  with  very  good 
cellarage,  good  store  of  stabling,  a  fair  large  garden  and  all  other  conveniences  to  be  let  &c.  by 
Peter  Yates,  master  of  the  said  house."  A  few  years  later,  in  Sept.  1701,  is  another  advertise- 
ment that  ''  the  Red  Lion  at  Holmes  Chapel  "  was  to  be  let,  "great  part  being  newly  rebuilt."  '" 
On  Tuesday,  loth  July,  1753,  a  sad  accident  befell  the  village.  "  Between  the  hours  often  and 
eleven  in  the  forenoon  a  fire  broke  out,  which  burnt  down  and  consumed  the  whole  place, 
consisting  of  about  20  houses  e.Kcept  the  old  Red  Lion  Inn  and  two  other  houses.  The  fire 
was  so  sudden  that  the  inhabitants  had  not  time  even  to  save  their  wearing  apparel.""  The 
houses  were  rebuilt,  and  they  have  gradually  increased  in  number  in  the  past  hundred  years, 
till  at  the  present  time  the  village  is  one  of  considerable  importance,  and,  from  a  number  of 
private  residences  having  been  erected  in  the  neighbourhood,  is  likely  to  increase.  The 
London  and  North-Western  Railway  have  a  station  near  the  village,  and  there  is  a  good 
service  of  trains  to  Manchester  and  to  Crewe. 

'  At  the  time  of  the  .Sandbach  Tithe  Dispute,  1S2S  to  iSjj,  the  chief  landowners  there,  with  the  exception  of  the 
,\rmitsteads,  were  the  executors  of  William  Eccles,  Esq.,  the  Rev.  T.  Hodges,  and  the  Rev.  C  Hodges. 

'°  It  was  again  advertised  in  Harrofs  Maiuliestcr  Mercury  on  the  I  Ith  Dec.  17S1,  "  to  be  lett  that  accustomed  and  well 
known  Inn,  in  Hulnies  Chapel,  the  old  Red  Lion,  together  witli  all  the  convenient  buildings  and  stables  and  90  Cheshire  acres 
ofland." 

"  .Steele's  MS.  collections  for  Cheshire,  Bodleian  Library,  Oxford.  See  also  the  Historical  Chronicle  of  the  Geiitkiiian  s 
Magazine  for  July,  1753  (vol.  xxiii.  p.  341).  In  Harrop's  Mamhesler  Mercury,  17th  July,  1753,  the  following  account  i.s 
given  :  "  Last  Tuesdays  afternoon  \sic  for  turenoon]  a  fire  broke  out  in  the  house  of  a  Button-maker  in  Holmes-Chapel,  near 
Knutsford  in  Cheshire,  which  (the  wind  being  high)  communicated  itself  to  several  parts  of  the  Town,  and  in  a  few  hour~ 
reduced  15  of  19  houses  that  were  in  the  town  entirely  to  ashes.  The  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  were  at  a  monthly  meeting 
in  Northwich  at  the  time  the  fire  happened,  so  that  'tis  feared  liitle  or  none  of  tlieir  effects  escaped  the  fury  of  the  flames.'' 


i;8  SANDBACH. 


Cljr  CtjuiTl). 


The  Church  or  Chapel  of  PIoi.mes  Chapel,  in  the  township  of  that  name,  is,  like  that 
of  Goostrey,  one  which  can  be  traced  back  to  an  carl}-  date.  In  an  undated  charter,"  which, 
if  one  of  the  parties  be  correct!}' identified,  belongs  to  the  period  1245  to  1269,  in  a  licence 
from  the  Abbot  of  Dieulacres  Abbe}',  near  Leek,  co.  Stafford  (then  holding  the  advowson  of 
Sandbach),  to  Thomas,  the  Abbot  of  St.  W'crburgh's  at  Chester,  allowing  him  to  have  divine 
services  in  a  chapel  in  his  manor-house  at  Barnshaw,  in  Goostrey,  there  is  mention  of  the 
mother  church  of  Sandbach  and  the  chapels  thereto  belonging,  which  can  only  refer  to  Holmes 
Chapel  and  Goostrey.  This  Thomas  is  believed  to  be  Thomas  de  Capenhurst,  who  was  Abbot 
from  1245  to  1269,  and  if  so,  there  was  clearly  a  chapel  here  before  that  early  date. 

Few  other  references  to  this  Chapel  have  been  met  with,  and  although  in  man}'  of  the 
early  deeds  relating  to  this  Chapelr}'  there  is  mention  of  various  "  clerks  "  as  witnesses  to  them, 
none  of  them  can,  with  certaint}-,  be  identified  as  having  officiated  at  Holmes  Chapel.  We  have 
also  no  information  as  to  whether  the  older  church  on  the  site  of  the  present  one  was  a  stone  or 
wooden  building,  but  the  latter  I  should  think  is  the  most  probable.  There  are  still  eight  wooden 
pillars  in  the  nave. 

The  present  church,  dedicated  to  St.  Luke,  consists  of  a  nave  with  two  side  aisles,  a  square 
tower  at  the  west  end,  and  a  small  chancel  at  the  east  end,  not  separated  from  the  nave  by  any 
arch.  There  are  four  wooden  columns  on  each  side  of  the  nave,  between  it  and  the  side  aisles. 
The  na\e  has  a  round  roof,  and  the  aisles  have  plain  flat  ceilings.  There  is  a  gallcr}-  on  the 
south  side,  and  at  the  west  end,  on  the  latter  of  which  is  carved  an  inscription  signif}'ing  that  it 
was  the  gift  of  Thomas  Hall,  1705.  There  are  old  pews  in  the  south  gallery,  but  the  pews  in 
the  nave  and  aisles  are  modern. 

The  body  of  the  church  is  of  brick,  and  it  was  probabl}'  rebuilt  at  the  beginning  of  the  last 
century,  the  bricks  being  laid  in  what  is  known  as  the  "  Pl}'mouth  bond  "  pattern,  which  was  in 
common  use  about  that  period.''  The  Churchwardens'  accounts,  which  go  back  to  1716,  do  not 
contain  any  account  of  the  rebuilding  of  the  church,  so  that  it  must  have  occurred  prior  to  that 
date.  The  tower,  which  is  the  oldest  part  of  the  church,  is  massively  built  of  stone,  and  probably 
dates  back  to  the  fifteenth  or  earl}-  sixteenth  century.  The  upper  part,  containing  the  belfr}-, 
ajjpcars  to  have  been  a  later  addition,  but  the  heavy  stone  pinnacles,  which  are  shown  in  some 
(ild  \'icws  of  the  tower,  were  taken  down  some  }'ears  since,  being  found  in  a  dangerous  condition 
and  too  heav}'  for  the  rest  of  the  building.  The  Rev.  H.  G.  Barnacle,  the  Vicar  of  Holmes 
Chapel,  has  called  m}'  attention  to  certain  marks  in  the  stones  of  the  lower  part  of  the  tower, 
which  are  apparently  bullet  marks,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  some  fighting  took  place  in 
Holmes  Chapel  during  the  Civil  War,  the  church  standing  close  to  the  high  road. 

The  side  aisles  terminate  at  the  eastern  ends  in  private  chapels,  and  it  is  probable  that, 
before   these  side  aisles  were  built,  these  chapels  stood  out  into  the  churchyard.     The  belt  of 

»  Enrolled  in  the  ch.irtulary  of  St.  Wcrburgh's  Abbey.     Harl.  MS.  1,965,  in  the  British  Jliiseum. 

'■  The  bricks  are  arranged  alternately,  one  lengthways  and  the  next  ci-ossways,  at  right  angles  to  the  previous  one.   The  body 
of  the  church  is  now  thickly  covered  with  ivy,  which  adds  greatly  to  the  beauty  of  its  a'ppeavance. 


THE    TOWER    OF    HOLMES    CHAPEL    CHURCH. 


OLD    CARVING    IN    THE    CHANCEL,    HOLMES    CHAPEL. 


{To /ace  p.  158.] 


THE  CHURCH  OF  HOLMES  CHAPEL.  159 

lime-trees  which  surround   the  church  was  planted  in   1743,  as   stated   in  the  Churchwardens' 
Accounts. 

One  of  these  side  chapels,  that  on  the  south  side,  which  had  been  enlarged  in  1577,  is 
mentioned  in  1609  in  an  interesting  document,  still  preserved  in  the  Bishop's  Registry  at 
Chester.'"     Of  this  document  the  following  is  an  abridged  translation  : — 

Confirmation  of  a  chapel  or  oratory  (sacelli  sive  oratorij)  and  a  certain  addition  to  it,  in  tlie  chapel  oj 
Church  Hulme  to  Hugh  Winington  gent. 

George,  by  divine  permission  Bishop  of  Chester,  greeting.  \Vhereas  it  hath  been  represented  to  us 
on  the  part  of  Hugh  Wynington  gent.,  the  owner  of  a  capital  messuage  called  "  The  Armitage,"  within 
the  Chapelry  of  Church  Hulme  and  the  lands  &c.  to  the  same  belonging,  that  the  ancestors  of  the  said 
Hugh  Wynington  for  a  time  beyond  memory,  had  a  certain  chapel  or  oratory  on  the  south  part  of  the 
chancel  of  Church  Hulme  for  them,  their  wives,  children  and  families  to  stand  sit  or  kneel  and  for  the 
burial  of  their  bodies,  the  same  being  repaired  at  their  costs  &c.  And  whereas  Thomas  Wynington, 
gent.,  late  deceased,  the  owner,  whilst  he  lived,  of  the  said  house,  about  32  years  ago,  viz.  in  1577,  at  his 
own  costs  lengthened  it  4  feet  towards  the  west,  the  same  is  now  confirmed  to  the  said  Hugh  Wynington 
and  his  heirs  for  ever.     Dated  20th  December  1609. 

<BXii  iHonumrntsi  autt  ^tainrtr  (glas^. 

There  are  at  present  no  monuments  or  incised  stones  in  the  church,  but  in  the  sixteenth  and 
probably  in  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  centuries,  there  were  several  such  monuments 
which  had  been  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  Needham  family,  still  remaining  in  the  church. 
Thus  in  1569  the  following  are  recorded,  with  very  rough  sketches,  in  Harleian  MS.  2,151, 
fo.  1 10  : — • 

(i)  An  altar-tomb,  on  the  top  of  which  was  an  effigy  of  the  person  to  whose  memory  it  was 
put  up,  and  on  the  front  an  inscription  (probably  only  partially  copied)'': — 

iAObntUEi  tit  BrtiOam  arm  :  obiit  iH°£€CC'')iIbiti°. 

(Translated)  Robert  de  Nedham,  Esq.,  died  144S. 

(2)  An  incised  stone  with  the  representation  of  two  male  figures,  side  by  side,  both  bare- 
headed, and  having  their  hands  clasped  in  front,  and  this  inscription  at  their  feef^ : — 

l)ir  jarcnt  rorpora  l\oljrrti  lif  i^rtiljam  qui  oliiit  Uir  ^abbati  in  .... 
frsto  ^aiuti  Oluaitii  iW°CCCC°vvn°  ft  Cftomar  tir  ilrDI^am  quontiam 
fiatn  prriitcti  lAObnti  ....  qui  obiit  ^\t  Uoniinira  ....  iH°CCCC°I)itir. 

{Translated)  Here  lie  the  bodies  of  Robert  de  Nedham  who  died  on  the  Saturday  in  the  feast  of 
S'  Edward  143 1  and  Thomas  de  Nedham  formerly  brother  of  the  said  Robert  ....  who  died  on 
Sunday 1463. 

(3)  An   incised  slab,  or  else  a  slab  inlaid  with  brass,  representing  a  male  figure  apparent]}- 

'■  Enrolliiunt  Bool;s,  vol.  ii.  p.  300. 

■'  In  Harl.  MS.  2,007,   f-  74  (new  notation),  this  inbcription  is  given  (ilie   Latin  extended)  thus  : — Hie  jacet   Robertus 
Nedham  qui  obiit  MCCCCXLVni  in  vigilia  Nativitatis  Sancti  Joliannis  Baptistce. 

"  The  Latin  of  this  inscription  has  been  extended. 


i6o  SANDBACH. 


habited  in  a  judge's  robes,  bareheaded,  the  hands  clasped  in  front.     Round  the  sides  of  this 
stone  was  this  inscription  f  I'the  Latin  extended)  : — 

|t}ir  jarr t  rorpud  3)Ol)anni6  i"lrtirf)am  militi's  quonliam  srruntiue!  3>usitirianu5 
|tir  iaanro]  tiomini  ixrcjisi  ft  nupfr  rapitalt^  Juietiriariue  Comitatu  ^Jalatini 
Dirti  tianiim  ixrtyis  iLanrastri  ar  olim  rapitalisf  5iu6tiriaiiu5  Comitatu  ^3alatini 
nustirm  tiomim  lUgis  Crstri.x  rt  nuprr  nnu6  Bueitirianu5j  iirti  liomim 
iUgisi  ati  ^ssisasi  ra^Jlrnlla5  qui  oluit  vrb"  tiir  mrnsisi  ::!lpnli6  anno  iomini 
iH"€C£C°Irir  [ru)ii5  anim.T  ^jropinrtur  Urud  :3mrn]. 

(Traiisla/cd)  Here  lies  the  body  of  Sir  John  Nedeham  knight,  formerly  second  Judge  of  the  King's 
r.ench  and  lately  chief  Judge  of  the  County  Palatine  of  the  said  lord  the  King,  of  Lancaster,  and 
formerly  chief  Judge  of  the  County  Palatine  of  the  same  lord  the  King,  of  Chester,  and  lately  a  Judge  of  the 
said  lord  the  King  for  holding  Assizes,  who  died  the  25"'  day  of  the  month  of  April  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
14S0,  on  whose  soul  may  God  be  merciful. 

hi  addition  to  these  three  monuments,  there  were  several  monumental  inscriptions,  shields 
(if  arms,  and  figures  in  stained  glass  in  the  windows  of  the  church.  Of  these,  one  inscription 
and  several  shields  of  arms  are  recorded  in  the  manuscript  just  quoted  from  the  Harleian  MSS. 
in  the  British  Museum,  but  in  the  fineh'-illuminated  family  history  of  the  Mainwaring  family, 
compiled  b\-  Sir  William  Dugdale  in  1640,  just  prior  to  the  outbreak  of  the  Ci\-il  War,  coloured 
drawings  of  these  figures  and  of  the  arms,  &c.,  are  to  be  found."  These  show  that  the  old 
stained  glass  in  this  chapel,  and  also,  most  probably,  the  old  monuments  as  well,  were  perfect 
so  late  as  1640. 

In  Capella  vocata  Holmes  Chapell  in  co:  Cestr; 
10  Aug  a"  1640. 
Li  boreale  fenestra  AIk  Aquilonaris  ibidem. 
[In  the  north  window  of  the  north  aisle  there.] 
Two  kneeling  figures,  by  the  side  of  small  stools  or  tables,  on  which  are  open  books.     The  man  is 
habited  in  a  scarlet  robe  edged  with  fur,  and  has  a  judge's  coif  on  his  head  ;  the  female  figure  is  also  in 
!-carlet,  and   wears  a   reticulated    headdress.       Between    them   is  a  shield  of  arms,   Needham   impaling 
Mainwaring  of  Peover.      Over  the  male  figure  a  fragment  of  an  inscription  ....   tUam,  over  the  female 
figure  iHflrg;ar.  J^rtaiii  ps'  lunffJ' 

In  altera  boreale  fenestra  dicta:  Alje  Aquilonaris. 

[In  the  other  north  window  of  the  said  north  aisle.] 

The    kneeling   figure  of  a   man,   habited  in  a  purple  robe,  apparently  edged  with  fur,  and  with  a 

fur  tippet  on  his  shoulders,  the  head  bare,  and  the  hands  clasped.     Behind  him  are  three  small  figures, 

his  sons.    Opposite  him  is  the  kneeling  figure  of  his  wife,  also  bareheaded,  the  hands  clasped,  and  wearing  a 

'  In  Harl.  il/.V.  2,007,  f-  <J'  (n^'w  notation),  lliis  inscription  is  given  as  follows  : — 

'^''^  J"'"^'-".'  J"h^n"e-'i  Needham  miles  cuiondam  secundus  Justiciarius  de  Banco  Com.  Palatini  Lancastrias  et  olim 
Capitalis  Justiciarius  Com.  Palatini  eiusdem  dni  Regis  Cestria;  et  niiper  unus  Justiciarius  di;i  diii  Regis  ad  assiss'  capiend'  qui 
obiit  XNV"  die  mensis  Aprdis  ano  dni  MCCCCLX.XX  cuius  aTe  ppciet'  deus  Amen. 

(T>-niis/,i/,-d).—l\ere  lies  Sir  John  Needham,  knight,  formerly  second  Judge  of  the  Bench  of  the  County  Palatine  of 
Lancaster,  and  formerly  Chief  Judge  of  the  County  Palatine  of  the  said  lord  the  King,  of  Chester,  and  late  a  Judge  of  the  said 
lord  the  King  for  holding  Assizes,  who  died  on  the  25th  day  of  the  month  of  Apiil  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1480,  on  whose 
.soul  may  God  be  merciful. 

f   For  coloured  tracings  of  these  figures  and  arms,  &c.,  I  am  much  indebted  to  Miss  Mainwaring  of  Peover. 

''  In  Hull.  MS.  2,007,  f-  74  (new  notation),  this  fragmentary  inscription  in  one  of  the  windows  of  the  chapel  is  given  :  — 
Orate  jiro  bono  statu  Margaretce  Needham,  and  this  note  is  added,  "  I  think  she  was  Judge  Xeedham's  wyfe— her  coat,  being 
a  field  Ar.  two  bars  Gules,  [Mainwaring],  is  impaled  with  Needhams." 


THE   CHURCH    OF    HOLMES   CHAPEL.  i6i 


purple  dress,  and  behind  her  two  small  kneeling  figures.  In  front  of  each  group  of  figures  is  a  small  table, 
at  which  they  are  kneeling,  and  on  which  are  open  books.  Between  the  two  figures  is  a  shield  of  arms, 
Needham  impaling  Mainwaring,  and  below  them  this  inscription  : ' — 

(C^ratf  pro  bono  statu  lAOftrrti  i^rtiljam  mtlitisi  rt  ^c^mti  urorr  rju6  rt  pro 
animabus  iTOom.T,  3oI)anni6  rt  lAOtirrti  filiorum  et  pro  liono  Statu  illatiltirr 
ft  SioOanntT  filiarum  rjustinn  l\oI)frtt  firri  [wV]  in  annotiominiiH°CCCCC°rIuij°. 

{Translated)  Pray  for  the  good  estate  of  Sir  Robert  Nedham  knight  and  Agnes  his  wife  and  for  the 
souls  of  Thomas,  John  and  Robert  the  sons  and  for  the  good  estate  of  Matilda  and  Joan  the  daughters  of 
the  said  Robert  [who  caused  this  window]  to  be  made  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1544- 

In  another  window  in  the  church  was  a  shield  of  arms  Needham  quartering  Bromley  and 
Argent  on  a  chevron  Gules  three  bezants  ( ?  Somerford)  impaling  Mainwaring.  In  other 
windows  were  the  arms  of  Winnington  of  the  Hermitage,  Cotton  of  Cotton,  Needham,  Cotton 
with  an  annulet  Sable  for  difference,  Mainwaring,  Bulkclcy,  Davenport  (?),  Lachford  (?),  and 
others. 

As  already  stated,  no  traces  of  this  rich  array  of  stained  glass  nor  of  the  Needham 
monuments  now  remain.  The  stained  glass  was  probably  destroyed  during  the  Civil  War,  and 
as  regards  the  old  monuments,  there  is  this  entry  in  the  Cliurchwardens'  accounts  for  171 7 
which  has  a  grim  significance,  "  spent  carrying  Gravestones  out  o'th'  Chansell.  3d."  i 

On  the  south  side  of  the  Chancel,  fi.xed  against  the  wall,  is  an  old  piece  of  carving,  on  which, 
in  the  centre,  is  carved  a  shield  of  arms,  Winnington  impaling  Rudyard,  with  their  respective 
crests  above  each  shield,  and  below,  the  date  1622.  On  either  side  of  the  shield  are  the  letters 
H.  W.,  standing  for  Hugh  Winnington  of  the  Hermitage,  Esq.,  whose  second  wife  was 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  James  Rudyard  of  Winchfield,  co.  Southampton.  (See  the  illustration 
on  the  plate  opposite  p.  158.) 

Over  the  south  door  is  the  shield  of  arms  of  Cotton  and  the  initials  E.  C.  [Edward  Cotton 
of  Cotton,  Esq.],  and  the  date  1622.  The  recurrence  of  these  dates  would  show  some 
re-building  or  alteration  of  the  church  in  that  year.  Carved  on  wood  near  the  north  door  is  the 
date  1650. 

On  the  brass  candelabra  in  the  nave  is  this  inscription  :  "  Ex  dono  Thomas  Hall  de 
Hermitage  in  com.  Ccsf  Iron-master  Anno  Dom.  1708." 


Cbf  Communion  ^3Iatf  anti  iBrlls. 

One  of  the  patens  bears  the  following  inscription  : — 

The  gift  of  Thomas  Hall  of  Cranage,  Ironmaster,  to  the  use  of  the  Coinunicants  of  the  Chappelry  of 
Church  Hulme  for  ever  :  In  memory  of  his  dear  Children  (Anna  and  Cotton  Hall)  who  were 
both  interred  in  the  chancell  of  the  said  Chappell  in  the  month  of  Aug*  Aiio  I>omi  1700. 

The  other  paten,  tTie  chalice,  and  the  flagon  bear  this  inscription  : — 
This  belongs  to  the  Chappcl  of  Church  Hulme. 

'  This  inscription,  badly  copied,  occurs  in  Harl.  MS.  2,007,  f'  74  (ne«'  notation). 
Dr.  Ormerod,  in  his  History  of  Cheshire,  published  in  1819,  says,  "  at  the  east  end  of  the  north  aisle  is  a  large  slab  on 
which  is  a  fragment  of  the  shrine  work  of  some  rich  brasses."     1  could  discover  no  trace  of  this  stone  on  the  occasions  of  my 
visits  to  the  church. 


i62  SANDBACH. 


In  the  return  of  the  church  goods  in  the  county  of  Chester,  taken  in  1549,  "  Holmes 
Chapell  "  had  one  chales  [chalice]  and  iiij  [4]  bells. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  six  bells,  four  remaining  out  of  five  cast  in  1709,  and  one 
recast  and  one  added  in  recent  years.     They  bear  the  following  inscriptions  -.^ — ■ 

Fl.E  S.\LLY  FORTH  QuEEN  AnXS  GREAT  WORTH   I709.       ThE    GIFT    OF    DaNIEL    CoTTON  IrON.MASTER. 

I'le  Marlbrough  roar  from  shore  to  shore  1709. 

EvGENE  I'le  sovnd  thy  glory  rovnd  1709. 

[When   rvng  I'le    raise  brave  Ormonds  praise.     R.   S.   made  me   1709.]     This  bell  has  been 

re-cast  by  Mears  and  now  bears  the  inscription,  G.  Mears  Founder  London  1858. 
Heaven  Britain   bless   with    plenty  'nd  peace.      Edward    Hall   Warden.    1709.     Richard 

Sanders  of  Bromsgrove  made  vs  all  5. 
G.  Mears  Founder  London  1858. 

There  is  also  in  the  belfry  a  small  bell,  which  has  simply  the  date  1706,  without  an)-  other 
inscription  or  letters.  I  am  told  it  is  locally  known  as  "  the  draggle-tail," '  as  it  chimes  for 
a  few  minutes  before  Divine  service  begins  and  the  people  wait  for  it  before  coming  into  the 
church. 


€I)f  i%lomimnitnl  3n<jrriptiond  iii  tf)f  €I)urd)  anti  CIjurd)parli. 

The  following  arc  the  chief  monumental  inscriptions  in  the  church  and  the  most  important 
of  those  in  the  churchyard.  A  few  flat  tombstones  in  the  church,  of  no  special  importance,  are 
omitted. 

On  a  large  wooden  board  on  the  south  side  of  the  chancel : — 

Members  of  the  Family  of  Hall" 
Buried  in  this  Church. 


Anna,  daughter  of  Thomas  Hall  of  Cranage  Ironmaster  19"'  August  1700. 

Cotton,  Son  of  the  said  Thomas  30'''  Aug'  1700. 

Eleanor,  daughter  of  Edward  (brother  of  Tho')  of  Cranage  Ironmaster  Dec'  2'"'  1707. 

Ellen,  daughter  of  y"  said  Edw'  17"'  Ap'  17 14. 

The  said  Tlw''  Son  oi  Michael  Hall  oi  Ti3.\\\h\ixy  Worcestershire  27  March  1715. 

Joanna,  Wife  of  the  said  Tho'  31  Jan-^'  1721. 

Maurice,  Son  of  the  said  Edw''  13"'  Nov''  1741. 

Elizabeth,  Wife  of  Tho^  Hall  Esquire  of  Hermitage  [eldest  Son  of  the 

said  Edward]  29"'  July  1745- 

ElizahetJi,  daughter  of  said  Tho^  Hall  Esq'  25"'  Nov''  1745. 

The  said  Tho'  Hall  Esq'  30"' /««^  1748. 

The  said  Edward,  youngest  Son  of  the  said  Mich'  of  Tianibury  26'''  Sept''  1750. 

Edii'"^,  Son  of  the  Rev''  John  Hulse  of  Elworth  n''  SaitJlnich  and  Mary  his 

in/e  [daugh'  of  said  E''  Hall]  10"'  Dec''  1757. 

''  For  copies  of  these  inscriptions,  I  am  much  indebted  to  the  Rev.  H.  G.  Barnacle,  the  present  vicar.  They  were  first 
printed  l)y  .\ir.  T.  Worthington  JJarlow,  in  his  Lancashire  a>id  Cheshire  Hhtoi-ical  CoUtrto?;  1853,  and  afterwards  in  the 
itv««</ edition  of  his  "  Slcetch  of  the  History  of  the  Church  at  Holmes  Chapel,  Cheshire,"  1S53.  In  both  these  the  words  at 
the  end  of  the  inscription  on  the  fourth  bell,  now  recast  ("  R.S.  made  me  1709  ")  are  omitted,  but  they  occur  in  a  manuscript 
note  of  his  dated  May  10,  1S53,  made  when  he  originally  examined  the  bells. 

'   It  is  so-called  in  the  Churchwardens'  accounts  in  1723,  as  noted  by  Mr.  Barlow,   "  Bellropes  and  Dagtail  (?),  12s." 
'"  .See  the  pedigree  of  Hall  of  the  Hermitage  under  Cranage  township.     The  various  commas  in  this  inscription  have  not 
been  copied. 


THE  CHURCH  OF  HOLMES  CHAPEL.  163 


Ann  Frances,  relict  of  the  said  Edw''  Hall  19"'  Aug.  1758. 

Mary,  wife  of  the  said  Rev''  John  Hulse  5"'  Sept.  1770. 

John,  second  Son  oi  Doctor  Hall  of  Manchester  [second  brother  of  the 

said  Tho^  Hall  Esq''']  30"'  Jan?  1781. 

Amelia,  relict  of  the  saidyi?//^  19"'  Dec''  1791. 

Joanna,  daughter  of  the  said  Edw'^  Hall  9"'  May  1796. 

Ann,  daughter  of  Sam'  Vernon  of  Chester  [&  relict  of  y''  late  Tho' 

Bridge  Esq'  of  Davenham]  6"'  June  1814. 

Thomas  Bailey  \sic'\  Hall,  Esq''  Hermitage, 

Son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  his  wife,  last 

male  descendant  of  the  family  Sept''  16"',  1828. 

Elizabeth,  relict  of  the  said  Thomas  Hall,  Esq"'  2'"i  March  1S32. 


On  a  white  marble  mural  tablet  on  the  south  side  of  the  chancel,  all  in  capitals  : 

Sacred  to  the  Memory  of  Thomas  Bayley  Hall  Esq. 

who  for  a  period  of  sixty  years  resided  upon  his  paternal  estate 

at  Hermitage  in  the  county  of  Chester,  Respected  and  beloved  ! 

He  was  the  last  male  descendant  of  his  family 

(ancient  possessors  of  Hermitage  and  Cranage) 

and  died,  at  the  age  of  83,  on  the  8"'  day  of  September  1828. 

The  features  of  this  good  man's  character 

were  singularly  amiable  ! 

A  mild  and  indulgent  landlord  ;  a  kind  master. 

To  the  poor  a  constant  and  liberal  benefactor  ! 

As  a  magistrate 

he  was  most  impartial  and  upright. 

His  manners  and  disposition  were  lively  and  cheerful, 

His  conduct  always  regulated  by  unassuming  humility, 

and  adorned  with  unaffected  piety  ! 


This  tablet  is  erected  by  his  surviving  relatives 
in  token  of  esteem,  and  gratitude  and  affection  ! 


On  a  small  white  mural    tablet    on   the   south  On  a  white  mural  tablet  at  the  east  end  of  the 

side  of  the  chancel : —  south  aisle,  with  a  shield  of  arms  above,  Argent 

Sacred  three  talbots'  heads  erased  Sable,  langued  Gules, 

To  the  memory  of  [Hall]   impaling  Azure  a  chevron  Gules  between 

John  Procter  Esq'' of  Cranage  Hall  three   cotton-hanks    Argent,    on    the     chevron    a 

Late  of  Lancaster  crescent  Sable  for  difference  [Cotton]  : — 

who  departed  this  Life  26*''  May  iSio  Requiescat  in  Pace" 

Aged  51  Years  Thomas  Hall 

Also  of  Ellen,  Daughter  of  the  above  John  Procter  Nescio  an  immortali  Deo  ob  Pietatem 

who  died  Aug"'  11,  1819,  Aged  11  Years,  an  Mortalibus  ob  Humanitatem 

Also  of  Alice,  Relict  of  the  aforesaid  John  Charior 

Procter,  who  departed  this  life  24"'  May  Ob*  25"  M"J  1715 

1825,  Aged  45  Years.  Joanna 

°  Translated:  May  Thomas  Hall  rest  in  peace.  'Tis  hard  to  say  whether  he  was  more  dear  to  immortal  God  on  account 
of  his  piety  or  to  mortal  man  on  account  of  his  human  kindnes.s.  He  died  on  the  25th  March,  1715.  May  Joanna,  the  well- 
beloved  wife  of  the  abovesaid,  afterwards  his  most  sorrowing  «idow,  also  rest  peacefully  here.  She  died  on  the  27th  January 
1721-2. 


164 


SANDBACH. 


Prsedicti  Conjux  charissima 

Postea  Relicta  Mjestissima 

Hicce  etiani 

Placide  requiescat 

ob'  27"  Jan'  i7f|. 

On  a  white  marble  mural  tablet  in  the  south 
aisle,  all  in  capitals:  — 

In  memory  of 

Jane, 

Daughter  of  the  late  George  Reade 

of  Congleton,  and  the  beloved  wife  of  the 

Rev''  Charles  Bishope  Hodges  M.A.  incumbent 

of  IJyley,  and  formerly  incumbent  of  Congleton, 

she  died  on  the  20"'  of  December  1S49,  aged  42 

years. 

Frances  Maria  their  Daughter, 

died  on  the  27"'  of  March  1852,  aged  10  years. 

Mary  Jane  their  Daughter, 

and  the  wife  of  Henry  Martyn  Edwards,  of  Parkgate, 

died  on  the  4"'  September  1852,  aged  22  years. 

This  tablet  is  erected  in  affectionate 

remembrance  by  a  bereaved  husband  and  father. 

The  above  named 

Charles  Bishope  Hodges, 

died  on  the  16"'  February  1864,  aged  68  years. 

Arms  below  the  inscription ;  Quarterly  i  and  4 
( )r  three  crescents  ....  2  and  3,  Gules  a  saltire 
Or  between  four  garbs  .... 


On  a  mural  tablet  at  the  east  end  of  the  south 
aisle,  in  capitals  : — 

Near  this  place 

is  laid 

all  that  was  mortal 

of 

James  Mac-Leod 

Master,  for  13  years,  of  the 

Cranage-Schools 

in  this  parish ; 

who  was  born  December  26"'  1S12 

and  died  February  5"'  1869. 


In  thankful  remembrance 

of  his  public  services, 
and  his  private  kindness. 


no  less  than 

of  the  high  example  shown 

by  the  godly  and 

dutiful  life  he  led 

this  tablet  was 

subscribed-for  and  erected 

by 

his  loving  pupils. 

"The  souls  of  the  righteous 

are  in  the  hand  of  God." 


On  a  small  black  marble  mural   tablet    in  the 
south  aisle  : — 

^VILL''  Arthur  Hodges  Esq'' 

Captain  in  the  47"'  Reg'' 

having  been  twice  Wounded  in 

the  Battle  of  Vittoria  :   Fell  at 

the  Storming  of  S'  Sebastian 

in  Spain,  Aug^'  31^' 

Domini  181 3 


Anno 


\  .£tatis  26. 


On  a  small  white  mural  tablet  at  the  west  end 
near  the  south  door  : — 

Beneath  are  deposited  the  Remains  of 

Will"  Archer,  second  Son 

of  Rich*!  Archer  Gent  of  Shrewley, 

in  the  County  of  ^\■a^wick. 

He  died  24"'  July,  1787 

in  the  37"'  Year  of  his  Age. 

Also  the  Remains  of  Richard 

his  Son,  who  died  24"'  Oct.  1790 

in  the  9"^  Year  of  his  Age. 


On  a  mural  tablet  in  the  north  aisle,  at  the  west 
end  : — 

In  a  Vault  underneath  the  Vestry 

are  deposited  the  mortal  Remains  of 

The  Rev'i  Thomas  Hodges  M.A. 

sixty  five  Years  Minister  of  Holmes  Chapel, 

and  Vicar  of  Bromfield  in  the  County  of  Salop 

Obiit  Nov"^  26"' 

^'Etatis  89 

Anno  Humanse  Salutis  1821 

lUe  quidem  plenus  annis  obiit,  plenus 

virtutibus  :  Nobis  tamen  quperendus 

ac  desiderandus  est  ut  Exemplar  :evi  prioris." 


"   Translated:   He  died  on  the  26th  November  in  the  ye.ir  of  human  salvation   1821.      He  died  indeed  full  of  years,  full 
of  virtues  ;  by  us  however  he  is  [a  man]  to  be  missed  and  regretted  as  a  model  of  a  former  age. 


THE  CHURCH  OF  HOLMES  CHAPEL. 


i6s 


Mary, 

relict  of  the  Rev''  Thomas  Hodges, 

died  in  peace,  August  22°''  1828; 

in  the  71^'  year  of  her  age. 

Arms  :  three  crescents  two  and  one,  no  colours, 

crest  a  crescent. 


On  a  white  marble  mural  tablet  in  the  north 
aisle  : — 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of 

Maria  Reade 

wife  of  James  Reade  of  Congleton, 

and  daughter 

of  William    Worthington,    and    Lucy   Barlow,  of 

Holmes  Chapel, 
who   died   on    the   25"'  day  of    February    1837, 
aged  24. 

Also  of  the  said 

James  Reade, 

who  died  on  the  28"'  day  of  January  1852 

aged  44  years. 


On    a  large   white    marble    mural    tablet    sur- 
mounted by  an  urn,  in  the  north  aisle  : — 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of 
Elizabeth 
Eldest  daughter  of  the  late  Tho.mas  Ravenscrokt 
Esq'" 

of  Leftwich  Hall,  in  the  county  of  Chester, 

and    relict    of    Thos.    Bayley    Hall    E.sq''    of 

Hermitage  in  this  Chapelry. 

She  died  the  23''''  of  February  1832,  aged  75. 

In  every  relation  of  life  she  was  exemplary. 

Her   religion    was   zealous    and    consistent,    her 

charity  universal, 

"  She  fed  the  hungry  and  clothed  the  naked, 

visited  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction, 

and  kept  herself  unspotted  from  the  world." 

This  monument  is  erected 

as  a  tribute  of  gratitude  and  affection,  by  her  nieces 

Anna  Maria  Ridgway,  Agnes  Margaretta, 

and  Elizabeth  Editha  Wettenhall. 


On  a  large  white  marble  mural  tablet  in  the  north 

aisle  :  — 

Strethill  Harrison,  Esq"^ 

of  Cranage  Hall 

died  April  27"! 

,  (  Xti  1801 

Anno  < 

I  ^tatis  52 

Fiebilis  occidit 

Jane  the  daughter  of  Strethill 

and  Mary  Harrison  died  3'''  Nov''  1779 

aged  one  month. 

Ann  the  daughter  of  Strethill 

and  Mary  Harrison,  died  28"'  Sept'  17S7 

aged  15  years. 

Mary,  wife  of  the  above  Strethill 

Harrison,  died  Sep'  13'^  181 7. 

aged  74. 

Strethill,  son  of  the  above  Strethill 

and  Mary  Harrison  died  27"'  April  1S23 

aged  48. 

Samuel,  son  of  the  above  Strethill 

and  Mary  Harrison  died  9"'  Oct'  1823 

aged  47. 

Mary  Naylor,  daughter  of  the  above 

Strethill  and  Mary  Harrison 

died  28"'  January  1827,  aged  56. 

Maria,  daughter  of  the  above 

Strethill  and  AL\ry  Harrison 

died  7"'  July  1833  aged  52. 

Jane  daughter  of  the  above 

Strethill  &  Mary  Harrison 

died  12"'  May  1856  aged  72. 

On  a   shield   of  arms    below    this    inscription. 

Argent  a  fess  between  3  pheons  Gules,  a  mullet 

for  difference,  on  a  shield  of  pretence  Argent  a 

chevron  Gules  between  three  leopards'  faces  Sable, 

a  crescent  for  difference. 


On  a  small  white  mural  tablet  high  up  in  the 
north  aisle  : — 

Sacred 

to  the  Memory  of 

Strethill  Harrison  Esq'' 

who  died  at  Lancaster 

on  the  27"'  of  April  1823, 

in  the  48"'  Year  of  his  Age. 

He  was  beloved  through  Life 

And  deeply  lamented  in  death. 


1 66 


SANDBACH. 


On  a  white  mural  tablet  in  the  north  aisle,  now 
partly  hidden  by  the  organ  : — 

In  memory  of  Webster  and 

William,  sons  of  Stkethu.l  and 

Makv  Harrison  of  Cranage  Hall. 

William,  Captain  in  the  32'"^ 

regiment  died  at  Kinsale  in 

Ireland,  the  2"''  of  Nov  1805 

Aged  26  years. 

Webster,  Captain  in  the  y^ 

Royal  Lancashire  Militia,  died 

in  Dublin,  the  9"'  of  Feb'-y  1814. 

aged  40  years. 

Also  Charles 

formerly  Major  53"'  Reg'  died 

at  Gresford,  N.  Wales  2'"'  July  1866 

aged  84  years. 


On  a  gravestone  in  the  chancel.  Above  is  a 
shield  of  arms  too  much  worn  to  be  made  out 
with  certainty: — 

Here  lyeth  the  Body  of 

Alice  Niccols 

relict  of  John  Niccols  of 

Narborow  in  Leicestershire 

Clerk  and  Daughter  of 

Samuel  Langley  of 

Bole-Hall  Warwickshire  Clerk 

She  dyed  23'''  March  17  14. 


On  a  flat  tombstone  in  the  chancel : — 

John,  Son  of  Rich''  Edw''  and 

Grace  Hall  of  Manchester  died 

at  Congleton  Jan'-*'  25"',  1781  ^-Et  46. 

Amelia  Sophia  Carolina  Hall, 

his  wife  died  Dec'"'  10  1791  .l-^t  60. 


On  a  gravestone  in  the  nave.  Above  is  a  large 
shield  of  arms  almost  entirely  covered  by  pews 
(?  Cotton  arms).  The  inscription  in  boldly  carved 
letters  : — 

Here  lieth  the  Body  of 

Daniel  Cotton  of 

Church-Hulme,  Gent. 

and  of  Sarah  his  Wife. 

She  dyed  8  .-Vug'  1701. 

He  dyed  i  Jan.  1722-3. 


On  another  tombstone  in  the  chancel.     Above 

are  the  arms  of  Cotton  in  a  lozenge  : — 

Here  lyeth  the  Body  of 

Sarah  Cotton 

Second  Daughter  of 

Daniel  and  Sarah  Cotton 

who  dyed 

1 1  Jan>' 

1723- 

On  a  tombstone  in  the  porch,  much  worn  and 

almost  illegible  at  the  top  : — 

Here 

His  Adventures  and  Sorrows 

were  ended 

1791 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of 

Wright  late  of 


Cranage. 
Charles  Wright  late  a 
Captain  in  the  52'"i  Reg' 
of  foot  died  JanJ'  i5"' 
Domini  1822. 
^■Etatis  58. 
Sarah  Wife  of  the  above 
late  Charles  Wright  died 
July  14"'  1S54,  aged  74  years. 


Anno  < 


On  a  small  white  marble  mural  tablet   in   the 
north  aisle  : — 

In  grateful  Respect  to  the  Memory  of 

Anna,  wife  of  the  Rev''  James  Evton  Mainwaring 

of  Ellaston  in  the  County  of  Stafford, 

and  I  )aughter  of 

M>'  &  U'^  Vawdrey  late  of  Mill-Gate  ; 

She  died  8"'  April  1789; 

in  the  26"'  Year  of  her  Age. 


On  a  large  white  marble  mural  tablet  at  the 

east  end  of   the  north  aisle,  now  hidden  by  the 

organ.     Above  are  the  arms  of  Vawdrey,  a   plain 

cross  between  4  pheons,  in  chief  a  lion  holding 

in  its  paw  a  cross.     Crest  a  cock  : — 

Sacred 

to  the  memory  of 

Thomas  Vawdrev,  Esq'' 

of  Brook  Fields  House  near  Middlen'ich 


THE  CHURCH  OF  HOLMES  CHAPEL. 


167 


who  died  November  5"'  1839 

aged  53  years. 

Also  of 

Maria  Ann  Vawdrey,  his  widow 

who  died  at  Brooklands, 

near  Holmes  Chapel,  February  3"'  1866 

aged  76  years. 

[Rev.  14.  13  V.     Job  19.  V.  25  &  26.] 


On  a  white  marble  mural  tablet  on  the  north 
side  of  the  chancel: — 

Harriet  Vvse 

wife  of  Lawrence  Armitstead  of  Cranage 

and  daughter  of  the  ReV^  R.  Massie  of  Coddington 

died  July  17"'  1836  in  the  26*''  year  of  her  age 

"  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord." 
***** 

Above  is  a  shield  of  arms;  Quarterly  i  and  4,  a 
chevron  embattled  Sable  between  three  pheons, 
two  flanches  each  charged  with  a  lance  [Armit- 
stead] 2  and  3  Argent,  a  plain  cross  ermine  between 
four  fleurs  de  lis  [Fenton]  impaling  Massie  ofi 
Coddington.  Crest,  two  arms  embossed  in  armour 
facing  each  other  grasping  two  spears. 


On  a  tombstone  at  the  west  end  of  the  church 
near  the  door,  in  capitals  : — 

Heare  Lieth  In 

terred  the  Body 

of  Thomas  Cul 

CHETH  of  Church 

Houlme  who  depar 

ted  this  Life  Ivne 

24.  1678.I' 


On  a  tombstone  cut  in  half  near  the  west  door- 
way :  — 

[Richard]  Deane 
[of  Cotton]  Bank  who 

Departed  this  Life 

[July]  15"'  An.  Dom. 

1689. 


On  the  south  side  of  the  churchyard  on  an 
obelisk  : — 

In  memory  of  |  Susan  |  the  beloved  wife  of  i 
the  Rev''.  John  Kendall  |  incumbent  of  this 
chapelry  |  she  died  October  15"'  1866  |  in  the 
56*''  year  of  her  age.  | 

Also  I  in  loving  memory  of  the  |  Rev'  (oiin 
Kendall  |  for  36  years  the  beloved  pastor  |  of 
this  parish  |  Born  Ocf  20"'  1805  |  Died  July  20"' 
1882  I  Rev.  vii.  ,xiv.  xv. 

Ann  Barnard  |  died  December  23"'  1885  |  aged 
85  years. 

Mary  Barnard  |  died  January  26"'  18S6  |  aged 
89  years.  

In  the  churchyard  on  tombstones  beneath  the 
east  window  : — 

Waiting  our  Blessed  Saviours  Great  Assize 

And  hoping  Thro'  his  Merrits  hence  to  Rise 

In  glorious  Mode  in  this  Dark  Closet  lies 

The  Dust  of  Mary  the  late  wife 

of  Thomas  Wilcoxon 

of  Sproston  Gent 

Died  Jan.  y'  23'''' 

aged  24  (?) 

.728. 


Here  lies  the  Remains  of 

Thomas  Wilcoxon  of 

Sproston  Gen'  who  died  the  7* 

of  April  1753  Aged  60. 


Here  Lieth  the  Body 

of  Sarah  Wife  of 

Joshua  Low  of  Winsham 

who  Departed  this 

Life  June  the  9  1740 

Aged  42 

Also  the  Body  of 

Joshua  Lowe  of 

Winsham  her 

Husband  who  died 

Nov.  15.  1754  Aged  68. 


1'  The  month  on  thi.s  tombstone  is  clearly  June  by  mistake  for  July,  the  entry  in  the  register  being  "Thomas  Ciilcheth 
buryed  ye  26th  o{  July  1678.''  Thonms  Culclieth's  will,  dated  19  July,  was  proved  at  Chester  on  the  7th  September,  1678. 
He  mentions  his  house  at  Yatehouses,  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  and  his  children,  Thomas,  William,  Elizabeth,  and  Maiy.  It  may 
be  worthy  of  notice  that  in  an  indenture  relating  to  Holmes  Chapel  made  4th  September,  1707,  one  of  the  parties  is  described 
as  "  Thomas  Culchelh  of  Weobley  in  the  county  of  Hereford,  clerke,  sonne  and  lieire  of  Thomas  Culchelh,  late  of  Yate-houses 
in  the  county  of  Chester,  yeoman  deceased." 


1 68 


SANDBACH. 


Here  lyeth 

the  Body  of 

Cranage  Wiixoxon  of 

Sproston  Gent 

who  died  the  —  day  of 

March  Ano  Domin.  1730. 

Also  underneath 

lies  the  Body  of  Cranage 

WiLcoxoN  of  Sprows 

ton  Gen'  Son  of  the 

above  named  Cranage 

Wii.coxoN  who  died  27"' 

day  of  October  1769  Aged  74. 


On  the  north  side  of  the  churchyard  : 

Here  lyeth 

Interred  the  Body 

of  Thomas  Vawdrey 

of  Cotton  who  Departed 

this  life  the  30"'  of  Aprill 

1697 

Mors  vincit  omnia. 


At  the   east  end  of  the  churchyard  on  a  large 
tombstone  : — 

Sacred 

to  the  memory  of 

Anne  Neale 

(Relict  of  the  late  John  Neale 

of  Exhall  Wanvickshire  Esq. 

and  daughter  of  the 

late  Roger  Swetenham 

of  Somerford  Booths  Esq.) 

who  died  at  Holmes  Chapel 

November  10"'  1S54 

aged  69  years. 


Here  lyeth  interred 

the  body  of  Joan 

wife  of  Thomas 

Vawdrey  of  Cotton 

who  departed  this  Life 

the  15  day  of  June 

in  the  yeare  of  our 

Lord  God  1686. 

Sic  transit  gloria  mundi. 


On  the  north  side  of  the  churchyard,  both  in 
capitals  ; — 

Reader  >-nder  this 
stone  is  interred 
the  body  of  Mar- 

GERIT  LeADBEATER 

late  of  Cranage 

widow,  who  de 

ceased  the  1 1"'  Day 

of  December  Anno 

Domini 

1679. 


On  the  north  side  of  the  churchyard  ; — 
In  Memory  of 
John  Yarwood  Clerk 
of  this  Chapel  above 

forty  years  1762. 

[Eight  lines  of  verse.] 

Charles  Yarwood  Clerk  of 

this  Chapel  died  April  28"'  1828 

aged  88  years. 

Nancy  relict  of  the  above 

Charles  Yarwood  who  died 

October  30"'  1843  aged  82  Years. 


Here  lieth  the  Body 

of  Mary  Wife  of  Francis 

Moreton  of  Sjiroston  who  died 

October  the  14.  1735 

Aged  55. 
Also  the  said  Francis 
Moreton  died  June  the 
30"'  1756.     Aged  81. 


Randle  y^  Son 

of  Randle  Lead 

BEATER  of  Chvrch 

Holme  departed 

this  life  August 


Tombstone  broken  across.] 


Here  lyeth  the 
Body  of  Mary  the 
Relict  of  JosiAH  De.\ne 
late  of  the  Bank  in 
Church  Hulme  who 
departed  this  Life  y^ 
20"'  day  of  May  1737 
x-Etatis  suse  66. 


THE  CHURCH  OF  HOLMES  CHAPEL. 


James  Dean  of  Cranage 

died  March  26"'  1822 

aged  46  years. 


Here  lyeth 

the  Body  of 

JosiAH  Deane  of  y'= 

Bank  in  Church 

hulme  who  dyed 

April  the  3"'  Aho 

Domini  1724 

yEtatis  sua;  68. 

John  Dean  of  Cranage 

departed  this  Life 
March  the  20"'  1807  in 
the  69  Year  of  his  Age. 


Here  lyeth 

the  body  of 

Rebeckah  Gibson  1 

formerly  wife 

to  Joseph  Morris 

of  Chvrch  Hvlme 

who  departed  this 

Life  Sep'"'  y«  2'^  An. 

Dom.  1684. 


On   tombstones    at    the   eastern    end     of    the 
churchyard,  in  bold  letters  : — 

Here  lyeth  the 
body  of  Joseph  Mor 
Ris  of  Church  hulme 

hee  was  Interred 

January  the  3''  Ano 

domi  1675. 


On  a  massive  tombstone  on  the  south  side  of  the 
churchyard  : — 

Commander  James  H.  Dathan 

R.N.  departed  this  life 

ALarch  2nd  A.D.  1S56  in  the  91st 

year  of  his  age. 

Sacred  |  to  the  memory  of  |  Anne  | 

wife  of  Commander  James  H.  Dathan  R.N. 

who  departed  this  life 

April  2nd  1852  aged  61  years. 

On  a  tombstone  on  the  south  side  : — 
Thomas  Morten  Ferns 
solicitor  of  Stockport 
died  23'''  Sep"'  1869  aged  59. 


{nriimbfnts  of  ?l)olmf5  €l)aprl,  1579  to  1888. 

THE  following  is  the  list  of  the  Incumbents  of  this  Chapel,  whose  names  have  been  met 
with  either  in  the  Registers,  the  transcripts  at  Chester,  the  records  of  the  Ecclesiastical 
Court,  and  the  Bishops'  Registers  there,  and  other  sources.  The  early  presentations  to  these 
smaller  Chapelries  are  not  on  record  at  Lichfield  or  Chester,  as  are  those  to  the  parish  churches, 
and  it  is  not  till  the  last  century  that  the  names  of  the  Incumbents  of  Holmes  Chapel  are 
regularly  entered  in  the  Bishops'  Registers  at  Chester. 

The  stipend  paid  to  the  Incumbents  has  always  been  .small.  Bishop  Gastrell,  in  his 
Notitia  CeslricHsis,  records  it  as  being  in  1705  only  £\2.  Sx  per  annum.  By  about  1720  this 
had  been  increased  to  £2^,,  made  up  he  states  as  follows  :  £2.  \os.  paid  by  the  Vicar  of 
Sandbach,  £4.  gs.  old  wages  paid  by  the  whole  Chapelry,  £\.  4s.  rent  charge  upon  Hermitage 
by  one  Winnington,  £1  upon  the  same  estate  by  Thomas  Hall,  £7.  I'^s.  the  interest  of  ;^  155 
[bequeathed  by  various  donors],  house  rent  £t,.  ^s.,  tithes  _£'3.  This  sum  of  i^i55  was  made  up 
of  i^ioo  bequeathed  by  Mr.  Richard  Welles  in  1707,  and  i^20  each  by  Thomas  Bagnall,  J.  Carter 
and  Mr.  [Peter]  Yates,  of  which  ;^5  had  'oeen  lost.  (See  the  account  of  the  Charities,  p.  186.) 
Subsequently,  in  1723,  Mr.  Richard  Vernon  of  Middlewich  left  ^^200  to  augment  the  income  of 
the  Incumbent,  and  it  has  since  been  increased  in  various  ways. 

■i  I  have  a  copy  of  an  indenture  made  4  Oct.,  1679,  between  "John  Gibson  of  Bossley  co.  Chester  clerk  and  Rebecka 
his  wife  and  relict  of  Joseph  Morrice  late  of  Church-hulme  in  the  said  county  yeoman  deceased"  on  the  one  part  and 
Josiah  Deane,  clerk,  and  Richard  Deane,  his  nephew,  of  the  other  part.  There  is  mention  of  Joseph  Morrice,  son  of  the  said 
Joseph  -Morrice  deceased,  by  the  said  Rebecka,  then  under  age,  and  also  of  the  said  Josiah  Deane,  clerk,  Richard  Deane,  and 
Thomas  Deane,  brothers  of  the  said  Rebecka. 


lyo  SANDBACH. 


c.  1579.     Rali'ii  Dutton. 
His    name   occurs    in    the    will    of  John    Cotton    of  Cotton,  .Esq.,"  dated   7th  August,    1579,  who 
bequeathed  "  To  S''  Rauffe  Dutton  Curate  there  [i.e.  at  Holmes  Chapel]  vj^  viij''. 

c.  1600-C.  1612.  William  Amlson. 
His  name  occurs  as  signing  the  transcripts  of  the  early  Registers  transmitted  to  Chester,  as  "  \\'"' 
Ameson  minister  "  in  1600  and  the  following  years.  It  is  probable  that  he  was  a  member  of  the  old 
family  of  the  Amesons  or  Amsons  of  Leighs  or  Lees  in  Sandbach  parish,  and  was  not  unlikely  a  son  of 
Hugh  Ameson  of  that  place.  He  was  appointed  Rector  of  Brereton  in  161 2,  and  on  3rd  Sept.  in  that 
year  he  was  married  at  Sandbach  to  Elizabeth  Hancock.''  He  remained  there  till  his  death  in  1639. 
His  will,  dated  29th  April,  1639,  and  proved  at  Chester  nth  July,  1639,  mentions  his  son,  Matiheio 
Aiiuso/i,  to  whom  he  bequeathed  "  all  his  bookes  whatsoever,"  and  who  seems  to  have  been  his  only 
child.  The  inventory  of  his  goods,  taken  27th  June,  1639,  mentions  "his  Librarie "  as  valued  at 
^13.  6s.  Sd., — a  fair  sum  in  those  days, — "  itern  in  silver  and  gould";^52,  "item  a  bow  quiver  and 
arrowes  and  all  other  things  whatsoever"  valued  at  6s.  Sd.  He  desired  that  his  body  should  be  buried 
■'  in  the  Chancel  of  the  parish  church  of  Brereton  upon  the  south  side  thereof,  near  unto  the  desk  where 
I  usually  read  prayers."     His  wife,  Elizabeth,  survived  him. 

c.  i6\2-c.  161 5.     Hugh  Proudlove. 
His  name  occurs  as  signing  the  transcripts  at  Chester  in  16 13  and  16 15,  in  which  he  styles  himself 
'•  Hugh  Proudlove  clerk,  curate  there."     The  name  of  Proudlove  occurs  at  Middlewich   and  the   neigh- 
bourhood. 

c.  1617.     Robert  Griffin. 
He  signs  the  transcripts  as  "Curate  "  in  16 17. 

c.  1620.     Richard  Tiiting. 
He  signs  the  transcripts  as  "  Curate  of  Church  Holme"  in  1620. 

c.  1621-2.     RowL.AXD  Burnet. 

Occurs  in  records  in  the  Ecclesiastical  Court  at  Chester,  as  Curate,  in  November,  1622,  and  in  the 
following  March,  1622-3,  he  is  called  "  late  Curate  of  Church  Hulme."'' 

In  Bishop  Bridgeman's  MS.  List  of  the  Clergy  in  his  diocese,  in  Feb.  162 1-2,  Mr.  Burnet  occurs  as 
"  Lector"  or  Reader  "  at  Holmscha])pell." 

c.  1622.    Jame.s  Norrls. 
He  signs  the  transcripts  as  "  Curate  "  in  1622. 

c.  1625-1627.    John  Orme. 
He  signs  the  transcripts   in  1625   as  "  Curate  of  Church  Hulme,"  and  in  1026  as  "  conciniator  "  or 
preacher  there.     A  daughter,  Lydia,  was  baptised  at  Holmes  Chapel  on  the  30th  April,  1626,  and  another 
daughter,  Mary,  on  the  15th  June,  1627. 

<-.  1633-1635.    John  Gregge. 
He  signs  the  transcripts  in  1633,  1634,  and  1635   as  "Curate  of  Church   Hulme."     He  is  named  in 
Bishop  Bridgeman's  List  as  Curate  in  1635. 

•   l.amashiix  and  Cheshire  Wills,  primed  by  the  Chethani  Society,  vul.  ii.  pp.  1751-9. 

•'  1612  Willinuis  Allison  pastor  tie  Brereton  et  Elizabeiha  Hancocke  mipt.  iij.  Seiitenibris." 
'   Notes  of  Cheshire  clergy  made  by  the  Rev.  G.  J.  Piccope. 


THE  CHURCH  OF  HOLMES  CHAPEL.  171 

c.  1639-1642.     William  Armite. 
He  signs  the  parish   Register  as  "Minister"  in   1640   and  1641,  his   handwriting  beginning  in  the 
preceding  year,  and  ceasing  in  August,  1642. 

c.  1644-1649.    Andrew  Barnet. 

This  incumbent,  who  was  here  during  the  Civil  War,  was  turned  out  in  1649  for  not  subscribing  to 
the  Engagement,  which  was  an  oath  "to  be  true  and  faithful  to  the  Commonwealth  as  now  established, 
without  a  King  or  House  of  Lords."  He  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Humphrey  Barnet,  of  Uppington, 
CO.  Salop,  and  brother  of  the  Rev.  Joshua  Barnet,  a  Nonconformist  n-jinister  in  that  county.  He  was 
educated  at  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  and  after  leaving  Holmes  Chapel  became  minister  of  Rodington 
in  Shropshire,  and  in  1662  he  became  a  Nonconformist.'^  He  was  living  in  1695,  and  is  then  described 
as  "  Minister  of  the  Gospel  at  Daventry."  He  published  one  or  two  sermons.  There  is  no  mention 
of  him  in  the  Holmes  Chapel  Registers,  nor  in  those  of  Sandbach  or  Goostrey. 

c.  1657-1662.  John  R.wexshaw. 
He  appears  to  have  succeeded  Mr.  Barnet.  His  name  occurs  once  or  twice  in  the  Registers,  but  without 
any  title,  such  as  clerk,  minister,  &c.  Thus,  in  1657,  '■'■John  y"  sonne  of  John  Ravenshawe"  was  baptised 
on  the  14th  May;  another  son,  &/«//«/,  on  the  27th  March,i6s9  ;  and  "  ^fea/^c/Zahe  daughter  of  M'' John 
Ravenshaw"  on  the  14th  Feb.  i66o-i.°  In  1662  he  was  ejected  from  Holmes  Chapel  for  Nonconformity. 
In  1672  he  was  living  at  Wybunbury  in  Cheshire,  for  on  the  30th  April  in  that  year  John  Ravenshaw  had 
a  licence  to  preach  in  his  own  house  there,  which  was  also  licensed  as  a  Presbyterian  meeting  place.''  He 
appears  to  have  gone  to  London,  where  he  died.  Calamy  speaks  of  him  in  high  terms, s  "He  was  a  hard 
student,  a  good  scholar,  a  useful  preacher,  and  an  e.xcellent  Christian.  He  had  a  turn  for  poetry,  but 
greater  skill  in  preaching.     Besides  a  good  judgement,  he  was  remarkable  for  his  diligence  and  piety.'' '' 

c.  1666-1667.  John  Wortiiixgtox,  D.D. 
Of  the  immediate  successor  of  John  Ravenshaw  in  1662,'  I  have  at  present  no  particulars,  and  it  is 
not  improbable  that  f/ie  Rev.  Thomas  Leadbeater  of  the  Hermitage  officiated  for  a  time  here.  A  fragment 
of  the  transcripts  of  the  Holmes  Chapel  Register  for  1663  is  signed  "Thomas  Leadbeater  Clarke  ''  and 
"Samuel  Leadbeater  Chappell  Warden."  About  the  year  1,666  however,  Dr.  John  Worthington,  who 
had  been  Master  of  Jesus  College,  Cambridge,  during  the  Protectorate,  was  invited  by  Lord  Brereton  of 
Brereton  to  become  Preacher  at  Holmes  Chapel.  This  he  accepted,  but  held  it  lor  a  very  short 
time,  leaving  for  Ingoldsby,  co.  Lincoln,  where  he  had  been  appointed  Rector,  on  14th  April,  1667. 1 
This  distinguished  man  was  a  native  of  Manchester,  where  he  was  born,  in  Feb.  1617-18.  His 
Diary   and    Correspondence,  at  first  edited  by  M''  James    Crossley,  F.S.A.,  and  finally  completed  by  M' 

■"  Calamy's  Nonconformists^  Memorial,  iii.  151.  It  maybe  noted  here  that  the  Rev.  Henry  Newcome  preached  at  Hohiies 
Chapel  on  Tue.sday,  iSth  Peb.,  and  .Sunday,  i6th  March,  1650-1. 

'  The  following  entries  of  this  name  also  occur  in  the  Registers  : — 

1670  John  the  sonn  of  Katherine  Ravenshaw  widdow  was  borne  December  14"'  about  10  or  II  a'clocke  atl  nighl. 
1670  Josiah  Ravenshaw  was  buryed  the  s"  of  December. 
It  is  probable  the  latter  was  the  father  of  the  former. 

'  State  Papers  Domestic,  Public  Record  Office,  Licences  to  Preach. 

^  Calamy's  Nonconformists''  Memorial. 

^  Calamy  also  adds  :  "  He  died  in  London  of  the  Miserere  or  Iliac  passion,  [a  kind  of  cholera]  which  lie  endured  to  the 
last  with  admirable  patience." 

'  At  the  end  of  the  first  volume  of  ihe  Registers  are  two  notes  of  Cnlleclions  made  for  Briefs— in  Xovember,  1663,  and 
January,  1663-4.  The  latter  is  signed  Matthew  Hull  clic.  (see  p.  179).  Whether  he  was  curate  here  in  succession  to 
Ravenshaw  is  at  present  doubtful. 

J  Worthington's  Diary  and  Correspondence.     Chetham  Society. 

Z    2 


SANDBACH. 


R.  C.  Christie,  M.A.,  has  been  printed  by  the  Chetham  Society.  His  connection  with  Hohnes  Chapel  is 
mentioned  in  an  epitaph  written  shortly  after  his  decease,''  in  which  it  is  stated  that  he  came  there  "  soon 
after  his  losses  by  the  fire  of  London,"  which  would  be  in  1666.  There  are  a  few  references  to  his 
preaching  at  Holmes  Chapel  in  his  Diary  and  Correspondence. 

c.  1 668- 1 669.     Thomas  Pigot. 
His  name  occurs  in  a  memorandum  on  the  last  page  of  the  Register,  thus;   "Thomas  Pigot  curate 
Anno  166S,  1669." 

1669.     William  Carxe  or  Come  (?). 
He  signs  his  name  as  "  Curat "  at  the  end  of  the  transcript  of  the  Registers  for  the  year  1669. 

c.  \6y2-c.  1677.  Henry  Brerewood. 
This  Curate's  name  occurs  in  the  Register  from  1672  to  1677,  and  also  as  signing  the  transcripts 
of  the  Register  transmitted  to  Chester.  He  not  improbably  belonged  to  the  Chester  family  of  that  name, 
of  whom  Mr.  Edward  Brerewood,  M.A.,  Professor  in  Gresham  College,  was  the  most  distinguished  member. 
If  so  he  would  be  identified  with  the  Henry  Brerewood,  second  son  of  Sir  Robert  Brerewood,  Knt., 
Recorder  of  Chester,  &c.,  by  his  second  wife  Catherine  Lee,  who  was  baptized  at  St.  Mary's,  Chester, 
10  Jan.  1635-6,  and  was  living  in  1652. 
These  entries  occur  in  the  Register : — 

"William  Brerewood  ye  sonn  of  Henry  Brerewood  Curate  of  Church  Holme  was  baptized  y' 
24"'  day  of  Septemb''  1672  " 

"  Abigail  Brerewood  the  daughter  of  Henry  Brerewood  minister  of  Church  Hulme  was  baptized 
the  13"'  of  March  1673-4" 

"William  the  sonn  of  Henrye  Brerewood  minister  of  Churcii-hulme  was  born  and  baptized  the 
5<''  of  September  1675  "  [?  1674]. 

"  Henry  Brerewood  ye  sonn  of  Henry  Br:  minister  of  Church  Hulme  was  born  ye  28th  of 
January  being  friday  between  ye  hours  of  2  &  three  in  ye  afternoon  the  year  of  o''  lord  Baptized  y"= 
15"'  day  of  february  i675[-6]"     He  was  buried  the  22"''  April  1676. 

"  Katherine  the  daughter  of  Henry  Brerewood  minister  of  Church  Hulme  deceased  this  life  being 
wensday  between  ye  hours  of  12  and  one  at  night  and  was  buried  y''  23'''  of  March  1676-7  " 
"Sarah  the  daughter  of  Henrie  Brerewood  Clark  bap.  the  13"'  of  May  1677." 

c.  1677.    John  Ores. 

His   name    occurs  in   proceedings    in   the   Ecclesiastical    Court    at    Chester,    in    December,  1677, 
according  to  the  Rev.  G.  J.  Piccope's  notes. 

c.  1679.    John  Cooper. 
His  name  occurs  in  the  Register  as  officiating  at  a  wedding  at  Holmes  Chapel  June  24,  1679. 

r.  1680-1683.    Joseph  Bavlev. 
He  signs  the  transcripts  as  "  Curat"  of  Church  Hulme  in  1680,  16S1,  1682,  and  1683. 

1 6th  Feb.  1686-7.     WiLLLVM  Vawdrev. 
He  was  licensed  by   Dr.   Cartwright,  Bishop  of  Chester,    "to  be  curate  of  Church    Hulme"   on 

'  See  Local  Gleanings,  4(0  series,  vol.  ii.  p.  5,  anil  the  Giiitlctnans  Magazine  for  October,  1776.     See  also,  for  notes  on 
his  life,  and  a  copy  of  his  monumental  inscription,  his  will,  &c.,  Local  Gleanings,  voL  i.  pp.  199  and  20S. 


THE  CHURCH  OF  HOLMES  CHAPEL. 


Feb.  i6,  1686-7.'  This  "minister,"  as  he  styles  himself,  occurs  in  the  Register  in  16S7-8,  when  "Anne 
ye  daughter  of  M'  William  Vawdrey,"  was  baptized  on  March  3''',  and  again  in  1690,  when  "Mary  ye 
daughter  of  M''  William  Vawdrey  clarke  "  was  baptized  on  June  ^''^.  He  also  signs  the  transcripts  in  the 
latter  year  as  "  minister."  He  was  probably  a  member  of  the  family  of  Vawdrey  of  Mill  Gate,  in  the 
township  of  Cranage.  Bishop  Cartwright  records  in  his  Diary  under  Feb.  17,  1686-7,  "  I  admonished  the 
inhabitants  of  Hulme  Chapel  in  the  Consistory  [Court  at  Chester]  of  their  riotous  shutting  up  the  chapel 
doors  on  6  Feb.  being  Sunday,  the  King's  anniversary  day  of  inauguration  and  enjoined  them  penance 
for  the  same  to  be  performed  and  certified  against  the  next  Court  day." 

c.  1694.    Thomas  Bullas. 

He  signs  the  transcripts  as  "  Curate  "  in  1694  and  1696,  but  no  entries  relating  to  him  occur  in  the 
Registers. 

1697-8.    William  Evans,  M.A. 

The  name  of  this  incumbent  or  curate  is  givea   in  the   following  document,  which   is    preserved 
in  the  Bishops'  Registry  at  Chester: — 

"  Whereas  it  is  enacted  That  every  Dean,  Canon  and  prebendary  of  every  Cathedrall  or 
Collegiate  Church,  and  all  Masters,  and  other  Heads,  Fellows,  Chaplains  and  Tutors  of  or  in  any 
College  Hall,  House  of  Learning  or  Hospital,  and  every  publick  professor,  and  Reader  in  either 
of  y^  Universities  and  in  every  College  els  where  and  every  Parson,  Vicar,  Curate,  Lecturer,  and 
every  oth''  person  in  Holy  Orders  Shall  subscribe  the  Declaration  following : — 

Vid'.  I  A.  B.  do  declare  that  I  will  conform  to  y"  Liturgy  of  the  Church  of  England,  as  it  is  now 
by  Law  established. 
Wee  Thomas  Wainwright,  Doctor  of  Lawes,  Vicar  General  and  official  principal  of  y"^  Right  Reu''end 
Fath''  in  God  Nicolas  by  divine  pmission  Lord  Bp  of  Chester,  And  Laurence  ffbgge  Doctor  in 
Divinity  Dean  of  y'^  Cathedral  Church  of  Chester,  two  of  y'^  Comissioners  of  the  said  reverend  Father 
lawfully  authoriz'd  in  this  behalf  do  certify  that  WilliaiM  Evans,  Deacon,  Master  of  Arts,  at  and 
before  his  Admission  to  serve  y'=  Cure  in  y"  Chapel!  of  Church-hulme  in  y^  pish  of  Sandbach  in  y"" 
County  and  dioces  of  Chester,  Subscribed  y"  above  declaration  according  to  y"  Statutes  in  y'  behalf 
made  and  provided.  In  Testimony  whereof  the  seale  of  the  office  of  the  said  Vicar  General  is 
hereunto  putt.  Given  at  Chester,  the  twenty  eight  day  of  January  in  y'  Year  of  our  Lord  God 
according  to  y'  computacon  of  y'  Church  of  England  One  thousand  six  hundred  ninety  seaven.'' 

c.  1704.     Philip  Thomas. 
Signs  the  Registers  of  Weddings  in  1704  and  1706,  and  was  probably  Curate  here. 

c.   1707.      JOSEI'H    HARWAR. 
A  wedding  at   Holmes  Chapel  on  the   nth  Feb.  1707-8,  is  signed  "  per  me  J.   Harwar, '  who  was 
probably  then  acting  as  Curate  here.    He  was  appointed  Rector  of  the  neighbouring  parish  of  Swettenham 
in  1 7 15,  where  he  remained  till  his  death. 

c.  1708-1723.     Hugh  Whishaw,  B.A. 
This  Curate's  name  first  occurs   in  the  Register  in   1708,  when  he  signs  himself  "Hugh  Whishaw 
minister,"  and  he  remained  here  till  1723.     He  matriculated  at  Oxford  from  Brasenose  College  on  the 

'  Bishop  Cailwiight's  Diary,  published  by  the  Camden  Society,  p.  33.  He  also  records  "  16S6-7  |an  30  I  licensed 
/a/in  Farington  deacon  to  be  curate  of  Hulme  Chapel  in  Sambach  chapelry,"  but  he  never  served  the  cure  of  souls  at  Holmes 
Chapel,  for  as  the  Bishop  records  under  date  17  Feb.  1686-7,  "  Mr-  Farindon  gave  up  his  former  licence  [to  Holmes  Chapel] 
and  returned  to  his  cure  at  Wettenhall."  He  was  afterwards  Curate  of  Church  Minshull,  which  living  he  resigned  in  169035  a 
non-juror. 


174  SANDBACH. 


26th  March,  1697,  as  son  of  Hugh  Whishaw  of  Middlewich,  aged  17.  He  took  his  B.A.  degree  there 
12th  Oct.  1700.  On  the  6th  Sept.  1701,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Vicar  of  Prestbury  to  be  Curate  of 
Sid(linL;ton  in  that  parish,  but  he  resigned  that  jireferment  in  1703,     '(See  East  Cheshire,  vol.  ii.  p.  405.) 

I'rom  the  \-car  1723  the  Bi.shops'  Rcgi.stcrs  at  Chester  supply  tlie  following  succession  of 
Incumbents. 

1723,    23rd    Dec.     Edward    DutT(.)X,    nominated    by    the    Rev.    Thomas    Welles,    Vicar    of 
Sandbach,  on  the  cession  of  Hugh  \V[h]ishaw. 

Kdward  Duttun  was  a  scholar  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  in  1714,  B.A.  in  1716.  This  Curate, 
who  was  not  improbably  a  native  of  Holmes  Chapel,  remained  here  till  his  death  in  1756,  which  is  thus 
entered  in  the  Register  : — 

"  1756     The  Rev.  Edw''  Dutton,  clerk.  Minister  of  this  place  buryed  Nov.  13." 

On  the  15th  Oct.  1725,  ''James  the  son  of  Edward  Dutton  of  Church  Hulme  Minister  &  Elizabeth  his 
wife,"  was  baptized,  and  was  buried  on  the  6lh  Sept.  1726.  Another  son,  William,  was  baptized  here 
on   the   15th  March,  1727-S. 

1757,'"  lotli  May.     TliOM.VS   Hodges,  M. A.,  nominated  b)' the  Rev.   Henry  Bald\\)'n,  Vicar  of 
Sandbach,  on  the  death  of  Edward  Dutton, 

This  incumbent,  who  held  this  living  for  the  long  space  of  65  years,  matriculated  at  0.\ford  from 
Hertford  College  on  the  4th  Nov.  1752,  aged  19,  and  is  described  as  the  son  ofWilliam  Hodges,  gentlentan, 
of  Felton,  co.  Salop.  By  some  accident  his  name  does  not  appear  in  the  printed  list  of  Oxford 
Graduates,  but  he  probably  took  his  B.A.  and  M.A.  degrees  in  due  course,  as  he  is  called  M.A.  on  his 
monumental  tablet. 

Soon  after  coming  to  Holmes  Chapel,  he  was  married  there  on  the  5th  Nov.  1759,  to  Anne,  the  widow 
of  Cranage  Wilcoxon  of  Sproston,  co.  Chester,  gentleman,  and  the  daughter  of  M''  John  Cartwright  of 
Holmes  Chapel.  There  was  no  issue  of  this  marriage.  He  married,  secondly,  at  Holmes  Chapel,  on 
the   3rd  Jan.  17S5,  Mary  Hilditch  of  that  place,  as  shown  by  the  following  entries: — 

1759  Nov.  5  Thomas  Hodges,  clerk,  of  this  Chapelry  and  Ann  Wilcoxon,  widow,  of  this  Chapelry, 
married  by  Licence,  by  John  Harding,  Curate  of  Astbury,  in  the  presence  of  W'"  Cartwright, 
B,  Bowyer. 

I  785.  Thomas  Hodges,  clerk,  widower,  of  this  Chapelry  and  Mary  Hilditch,  of  this  Chapelr)',  spinster, 
married  by  Licence  3  January  1785,  by  Thomas  Burroughs,  Curate  of  Goostrey. 
The  issue  of  this  second  marriage  was  as  follows  : — 

17S5.  Lucy  Dau''  of  the  Rev  Tho*  Hodges  and  ^Lary  his  wile  of  Lane  Ends  baptized  Oct.  24"'.'' 

1787.  William-Arthur  'Son  of  the  Rev''  Tho*  Hodges  and  Mary  his  wife,  Min'' of  Church  Hulme 
bapt.  Aug.  23,  born  July  23." 

17S9.  Maria-Ann  Daiir  of  the  Rev''  Thomas  Hodges  and  ALary  his  wife  of  Lane  Ends  in  Church 
Hulme  was  ba])t.  Dec.  28. i' 

'"  In  the  Churchwardens'  Accounts  for  1756  is  the  following  entry: — "  Expences  on  strange  Ministers  from  the  time  of 
M'  Dutlon's  death  to  y'  new  Curates  coming  £\.  13.  6." 

"  She  was  married  at  Holmes  Chapel  on  the  26th  Nov.  1S06  to  William  Woithington  Barlow,  surgeon,  of  Holmes 
Ch.npel,  and  was  the  mother  of  Thomas  Worthington  Barlow,  the  author  of  several  books  relating  to  Cheshire  (see  page  1S2, 
note  »),  and  of  Maria  Barlow,  the  wife  of  James  Reade,  of  Congleton  (see  page  165). 

"  He  was  educated  at  the  Manchester  Grammar  School,  entered  the  army,  and  fell  at  the  storming  of  St.  Sebastian,  31st 
.Aug.  1S13,  being  then  cajitain  in  the  47th  Regiment.      See  the  mural  tablet  to  his  memory,  page  164. 

I"   Maria- Ann   Hoilgis  married  Thomas  \'awdrey  of  Ijrookfields,   Middlewich,  but  died  without  issue  (see  page  167). 


THE  CHURCH  OF  HOLMES  CHAPEL.  175 

1 791.   Thomas  the  Son  of  the  Rev"!  Thomas  Hodges  and  IMary  his  wife  of  Lane  Ends  in  the  township 
of  Church  Hulme  was  baptized  Aug.  10.1 

■1795.  Charles-Bishope  Son  of  the  Rev''  Tho^  Hodges   and  Mary  his  wife  of  Lane  Ends  was  baptized 
Aug.  i8.'- 

Mr.  Hodges,  who  also  held  the  Vicarage  of  Bromfield,  co.  Salop,  died  at  Lane  Ends  on  the  26th  Nov. 
1 82 1,  in  the  89th  year  of  his  age,  having,  as  already  stated,  held  the  Incumbency  of  Holmes  Chapel  for  the 
long  period  of  sixty-five  years.^  The  monumental  tablet  put  up  to  his  memory  will  be  found  on  p.  164. 
His  widow,  Mary,  died  on  the  22nd  August,  1828,  aged  71.  I  find  him  credited  with  having  preached  an 
Assize  Sermon  [?  at  Chester]  in  1766,  which  was  published  in  that  year.  On  the  title  page  he  is  called 
"  Thomas  Hodges,  M.A.,  Curate  of  Church  Hulme."'  During  his  long  incumbency,  the  following 
curates  assisted  him: — Gilbert  Vmcdrey,  appointed  9  Jan.  1803;  Thomas  Hodges,  B.A.  (his  son), 
appointed  iS  Sept.  1S14  ;  Charles  Bishope  Hodges,  B.A.  (his  son),  appointed  20  Sept.  1818. 
1821.  4th  Dec.  Edward  M.MNWARING,  M.A.,  nominated  by  the  Rev.  R.  L.  Salmon,  Vicar  of 

Sandbach,  on  the  death  of  Thomas  Hodges. 

He  was  born  23  Nov.  0792,  and  matriculated  at  Oxford  from  Brasenose  College  on  the  14th  June,  1810, 
aged  16  {sic),  the  son  of  Thomas  (Wetenhall)  Mainwaring  of  Nantwich,  Esq.  He  took  his  B.A.  degree 
ist  June,  1814;  that  of  M.A.  is  not  recorded.  He  was  a  younger  brother  of  Sir  Henry  Mainwaring, 
Bart.,  so  created  26th  May,  1804.  From  1843  till  his  death  on  the  6th  July,  1869,  he  was  incumbent 
of  Calverhall,  co.  Salop.  His  first  wife  was  Elizabeth,  younger  daughter  of  James  Fenton,  Esq.,  of 
Loversall,  co.  York,  whom  he  married  ist  Feb.  1820.  The  following  entry  occurs  in  the  Holmes  Chapel 
Register. 

1823.  William  George,  son  of  Edward  Mainwaring,   minister  of  Church  Holme  and  Elizabeth  his 
wife,  of  Cranage,  baptized  ALay  12." 

1823.  2nd  Oct.  John  Halsted  Poole,  M.A.,  nominated  by  the  Rev.  R.  L.  Salmon,  Vicar  of 

Sandbach,  on  the  resignation  of  Edward  Mainwaring. 

This  Incumbent  is  to  be  identified,  I  think,  with  the  John  Poole  who  matriculated  at  Oxford  from 
Brasenose  College  15th  June,  1808,  aged  17,  the  second  son  of  Uomville  Poole,  Esq.  of  Lymm,  co.  Chester. 
He  was  for  a  time  in  the  Navy,  but  took  his  B.A.  degree  9th  March,  1S13,  and  that  of  M.A.  9th  Nov. 
1814.  He  was  rector  or  curate  of  Ightfield,  co.  Salop,  from  1815  to  1S25.  I  do  not  know  where  he 
went  to  after  leaving  Holmes  Chapel,  but  he  died  in  1830. 

1825.    I2th  July.  John   Armit.STEAD,  ALA.,  nominated  by  the   Rev.    R.  L.   Salmon,  Vicar  of 
Sandbach,  on  the  resignation  of  J.  H.  Poole. 

1  Thomas  Hodges  entered  Balliol  College,  Oxford,  B.A.,  rst  June,  1814,  M.A.,  26th  Nov.  1S17.  He  was  afterwards  in 
holy  orders.  By  his  marriage  with  Mary,  only  daughter  and  heiress  of  Thomas  Hilditch,  of  Blackden,  gentleman,  he  became 
the  owner  of  the  Hall  of  Lee  estate,  in  the  parish  of  Lawton,  co.  Chester,  which  he  left  to  his  daughter,  Anna  Maria,  now 
the  wife  of  J.  AL  Toler,  Esq.,  of  Saltersford  Hall,  Holmes  Chapel. 

■■  He  was  educated  at  Queen's  College,  Oxford,  B.A. ,  26th  Nov.  1817,  M. A.,  2nd  June,  1S20.  He  was  Incumbent  of 
Congleton,  and  subsequently  of  Byley,  near  Northwich  (see  the  monumental  inscription  to  him  and  his  wife,  page  164).  He 
died  i6th  Feb.  1S64,  aged  68  years.  In  1S19  his  name  occurs  as  Curate  at  Holmes  Chapel,  where  he  was  probably  assistant 
to  his  father.  In  1S54,  he  published  a  little  book  entitled  "  Preces  Concionales  :  A  Manual  for  the  Pulpit  ....  by  the 
Rev.  C.  B.  Hodges,  M.A.,  Incumbent  of  Byley,  Cheshire.     London:  F.  &  J.  Rivington  ;     .     .     .      1S54,"  small  Svo.,  pp.  47. 

*  The  Rev.  J.  Finch  .Smith,  in  his  Admission  Rcgiste?-  of  tlic  MainJiester  Grammar  School  (Chetham  Society),  has  fallen 
into  an  error,  vol.  i.  page  175,  in  which  he  identifies  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hodges,  Incumbent  of  Holmes  Chapel,  with  another 
Thomas  Hodges,  son  of  Richard  Hodges,  of  Felton,  co.  Salop,  who  was  of  Brasenose  College,  Oxford.  This  Thomas  was 
probably  nepiiew  of  the  Incumbent  of  Holmes  Chapel. 

'  I  have  not  as  yet  succeeded  in  finding  a  copy  of  this  sermon.  It  is  not  in  the  British  Museum,  the  Bodleian,  the  Free 
Library,  Manchester,  nor  in  my  own  large  collection  of  Cheshire  sermons,   pamphlets,  i-\;c. 

"  This  William  George  Mainwaring  was  afterwards  Colonel  Bombay  .Staff  Corps  (see  Foster's  Baronetage,  p.  385,  where 
the  second  marriage  of  the  Rev.  Edward  Mainwaring,  &c.,  will  be  found). 


176  SANDBACH. 


Mr.  Armitstead  resigned  this  Incumbency  in  1849  fo''  ^^^  Vicarage  of  Sandbach,  where  a  notice  of  his 
life  will  be  found  ''  (see  p.  53). 

1849.  23rd  Jan.  John   Kexdall,  nominated  by  the  Rev.  J.  Armitstead,  Vicar  of  Sandbach, 

on  the  resignation  of  the  said  John  Armitstead. 

This  incumbent  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Kendall,  of  Wre.\ham,  by  his  first  wife,  and  was  born 
at  Tarvin,  near  Chester,  on  the  20th  October,  1805.  He  was  educated  at  St.  Bees,  and  held  the  curacies 
of  Buttermere,  Cumberland,  1832-38,  St.  George's,  Chorley,  1838-46,  and  Holmes  Chapel,  1846-49. 
He  remained  at  Holmes  Chapel,  after  his  appointment  as  Incumbent  in  1849,  till  his  death  on  the  20th 
Juiy,  1882.  He  was  buried  in  the  churchyard  (see  p.  167).  By  his  wife,  Susan,  daughter  of  G.  Barnard, 
Esq.,  of  Gorstage  Hall,  Weaverham,  Cheshire,  he  had  an  only  daughter,  Susan,  who  still  lives  at  Holmes 
Chapel.     His  wife  and  two  other  sisters  are  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel  (see  p.  167). 

i8Sj.  14th  Sept.,  Ht-;XRV  Glanviij.E  Rarxacle,  RI.A.,  nominated  by  the  Rev.  J.  Armitstead, 
\'icar  of  Sandbach,  on  the  deatli  of  John  Kendall.  {The present  Ineuinbeut.) 
Mr.  Barnacle,  who  is  the  son  of  the  Rev.  H.  Barnacle,  Vicar  of  Knutsford,  co.  Chester,  was  educated 
at  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge,  B.  A.  1873,  M.A.  1878.  In  1874  he  was  appointed  by  the  Lords  of  the 
.Admiralty,  on  the  recommendation  of  the  Astronomer  Royal,  one  of  the  astronomers  on  the  Government 
astronomical  e.xpedition  to  observe  the  transit  of  Venus,  and  he  then  visited  the  islands  of  the  North 
Pacific  ocean.  He  was  ordained  in  1877,  and,  previous  to  coming  to  Holmes  Chapel,  he  was  curate  of 
Neston,  Cheshire;  St.  Anne's,  Birkenhead;  and  Vicar  of  Gleadless,  Sheffield.  He  married  at 
Christleton,  near  Chester,  8th  June,  iSSo,  Sophia  Lucy  Caroline,  eldest  daughter  of  the  Rev.  James 
Yorke,  Vicar  of  Marbury,  co.  Chester,  and  niece  of  the  late  Sir  Harry  Mainwaring,  of  Peover,  co.  Chester, 
Bart.,  by  whom  he  has  issue. 


The  Registers,  now  preserved  at  Holmes  Chapel,  commence  in  1613,  but  a  search  in  the 
Bishop's  Registry  at  Chester  has  re\'ealed  the  fact  that  at  one  period  an  earher  volume  of 
Registers  must  have  existed,  but  \\hich  is  now  unfortunately  lost.  It  was  enacted  by  Act  of 
Parliament  that  transcripts  of  the  entries  in  the  various  Registers  throughout  the  country 
should  be  made  each  year,  and  that  these  transcripts  should  be  sent  to  the  respective  Bishops' 
Registries  for  their  safe  preservation.  Great  carelessness  as  regards  these  transcripts  has  taken 
place.  In  the  first  place,  they  have  been  very^  irregularly  made,  being  sometimes  omitted  for 
years  together  ;  and,  secondly,  even  when  sent  to  the  diocesan  Registries,  they  have  been 
neglected  and  lost.  As  regards  the  transcripts  of  the  Holmes  Chapel  Registers,  the  earliest 
is  dated  I596,''  the  next  1600,  then  1604,  1608,  1609,  and  161 1,  tliose  for  the  intermediate  years 
being  now  missing.  These  transcripts  arc  also  of  much  interest,  from  the  fact  that  they 
supply  the  names  of  the  clergy  who  signed  them,  and  by  whom  they  were  sent  to  Chester,  and 
from  them  the  list  of  the  Incumbents  of  Holmes  Chapel,  given  in  the  previous  pages,  has  been 
greatly  enlarged.     It    is   also  noteworthy,  as   will  be   pointed  out  from  time  to  time,  that  the 

'  In  1S29,  i6ih  Feb.  RichaiJ  Latham  was  "  Curate  of  Church  Hulme,"  and  on  the  28th  Sept.  1S29,  llie  name  of 
"  IVilliani  Davniport,  Curate,"  occurs  in  the  Register. 

°  A  fragment  of  a  transcript  on  paper  of  the  Registers  of  Church  Holme,  made  in  April,  1577,  is  at  Chester,  but  not 
a  single  entry  is  perfect  enough  to  be  deciphered. 


CHURCH  OF  HOLMES  CHAPEL.  177 

entries  on  the  transcripts  are  not  always  verbatim  copies  of  those  in  tlic  Registers,  and  that 
occasionally  more  information  is  given  in  the  one  than  in  the  other.  In  the  following 
extracts,  those  taken  from  the  transcripts  now  preserved  at  Chester  arc  distinguished  hj- 
the  letter  T  placed  before  each  entry.  The  earliest  Register  is  a  small  thin  folio  volume,  in 
poor  condition,  commencing  in    161 3.     The  Baptisms,  Weddings,  and   Burials  are  kept  distinct. 

BAPTISMS,    MARRIAGES,    AND    BURIALS. 
T     1596.     Richard  Holland  and  Jane  Amson  married  the  x'''  dale  of  Male. 
T       ,,         Arthur  Cotton''  buried  the  xxi^'  of  Aprill. 

T     1608.     Lord  Henry  Bryan  and  Mary  Brereton'^  married  the  xiij"'  of  July. 
T     161 1.     Cathren  wiffe  of  Roger  Wilcoxon  buried  15"' SeiJtember. 
T     i6i3[-i4].  Wiftm  sonne  of  Humfreie  Page'' gentleman  bapt.  xj"  M'tii. 

1620.  Peter   Leigh'^  of  Ridge  Esq  and   Elizabeth   Leigh  late  wife  of  Richard   Leigh  deceased  and 

daughter  of  Hugh  Wynyngton  gen'  were  married  the  xvj'''  dale  of  September. 

1621.  Peter  Lee  \sic  for  Legh]*^  sonne  of  Peter  Lee  Ar  was  baptized  the  xij"'  daye  of  Julye. 
i622[-3].  Dame  Aggnes  Bucklea''  [Buckley]  late  wyffe  of  Lawrence  Cranage  whas  Buried  the   xxiij"' 

of  Januarie. 
1624.     John  Page  sonne  of  John  Page''  gent  bapt.  Aprill  18"'. 
i625[-6].   Roger  Tasker  and  Elnor  Lane  were  married  19  ffebruarye. 

1633.  Mary  Leadbeater,  daughter  of  Tho.  Leadbeater  of  the  Parke  Mill  was  baptized  Decemb.  22. 

1634.  Elizabeth  and  Jane  the  two  daughters  of  Lawrence  ffoster  of  Throstlefieldhead  were  baptized 

March   29. 

1 64 1.  M''  Humphrey  Page'*  December  9*''  buried. 

1642.  Marcus  Booth  the  sonne  of  Marcus  Booth  was  bapt.  Mar.  27. 

1642.  Judeth  Winnington  wifife  of  Maister  Lawrence  Winnington-  buried  the  19th  of  October. 

1643.  Mrs.  Marie  Manwaring  buried  the  25*''  of  March. 

,,         Thomas  Rowlinson,  buried  the  27  of  December  1643  1    both 
,,         Sillito,  slaine  and  buried  the  29  of  December  J  slaine.'' 

''  See  the  pedigree  of  Cotton  of  Cotton,  under  that  township  p.  191. 

'  Mary  Brereton  was  the  third  daughter  of  William,  Lord  Brereton,  Baron  of  Laughlin,  in  Ireland,  and  of  Brereton,  cu. 
Chester.  In  his  Funeral  Certificate,  taken  in  1631  (Record  Society,  vol.  vi.  page  34)  it  is  certified  that  she  married  "Henry 
Lord  O'Bryan,  Earl  of  Tommond  [Thomond]  in  the  Realme  of  Ireland  by  whom  she  had  yssue  5  daught\" 

''  The  Page  family  was  of  Yeardshaw  or  Eardshaw,  an  estate  in  Cranage  township  (see  postea). 

'  See  the  pedigree  of  Legh  of  Ridge,  near  Macclesfield,  East  Cheshire,  vol.  ii.  page  450. 

'  Dame  Agnes  Buckley,  or  Bulkeley,  was  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Needham,  of  Cranage  and  Shavington,  Esq.  (see  that 
pedigree  under  Cranage).  She  became  the  second  wife  of  Sir  Richard  Bulkeley,  of  Beaumaris  and  Cheadle,  Knt. ,  by  whom 
she  had  eight  sons  and  two  daughters  (see  JSast  Cheshire,  vol.  i.  p.  1S2).  After  her  husband's  death  in  1573,  she  married, 
secondly,  Lawrence  Cranage,  Esq.,  who  predeceased  her.  In  her  will,  made  12th  March,  1621-22,  and  proved  in  the 
Prerogative  Court  of  Canterbury,  14th  March,  1622-23  (^5  Swann),  she  desired  "to  be  buried  in  Holmes  Chapel  in  the 
county  of  Chester  where  divers  of  my  ancestors  lie  buried."  She  speaks  of  her  son  (really  her  stepson)  John  Cianage,  then  of 
London,  grocer,  her  daughter  Eaton,  her  son  George  Bulkeley,  and  her  daughters  Agnes  and  I'hcebe  [Bulkeley].  In  Harl. 
MS.  2153  f.  194''  will  be  found  a  copy  of  the  confirmation  of  a  coat  of  arms  and  a  crest,  made  to  the  above-named  John 
Cranage,  of  London,  grocer,  by  Sir  Richard  St.  George,  Norroy  King  of  Arms,  dated  22nd  August.  1606.  From  the 
pedigree  there  given  and  one  in  Harl.  MS.  1535  f.  97,  it  appears  that  I)ame  Agnes  Bulkeley  had  by  Lawrence  Cranage  an 
only  daughter  and  heir,  Dorothy. 

6  See  the  pedigree  of  Winnington  of  Hermitage  in  Cranage  township. 

I"  These  are  tVie  only  entries  of  soldiers  or  others  killed  during  the  Civil  War. 

2    A 


i/S  SANDBACH. 


1644.  \\'illiam  ffoster  of  the  HoUins'  buried  the  first  of  September. 

1645.  John  Harefinch  of  \\'everhani  pish  and  Mary  Garnett  of  Great  Budworth  pish  were  married 

August  4'''. 
i645[-6.]  John  Amson  of  Midlewiche  and  Mary  Amson  doughter  to  Hugh  Amson  of  Cranage,  gent. 

were  married  the  eleventh  day  of  January  in  the  yeare  of  our  Lord  God  1645. 
1046.     .\rthur  Kinaston  of  Dudleston   in  the  Countye  of  Salop  gent,  and   Mary   Rauen  [Raven]  of 

EhvorthJ  were  married  tlie  25"'  of  May. 
164S.     EHznbeth  the  wife  of  M''  John  Page,  buried  May  the  18'''. 

1652.     John  the  sonne  of  William  Oldfeild  gentleman,  bajjtized  the  4"'  day  of  September. 
1658.     M''  Hugh  Amson  buryed  May  29"'. 

,,         M''^  Eaton  buryed  the  i^'  of  October. 
1661.     Thomas  Manwareinge  ye  Sonne  of  Philemon  Manwaringe  was  baptized  March  13"'. 
1 66 J.     John  Coulborne  and  Bridget   Gerrard,  both   of  Warrington    were  solemnly  contracted   and 

marryed  in  Ch.  Hulme  October  10"'. 

1663.  I'Mward    Hartshorne  of  Wicklow   in  Ireland    and    Elizabeth    Leadbeater,   daughter  of  John 

I.eadbeater  of  the  Hermitage,  gent,  were  married  the  twelfth  day  of  November.'^ 

1664.  AP  Demport  [Davenport]'  of  Weltrough  buried  17  August. 

i666[-7].   AP  \Vilcocks  [sii  for  Wilcoxon]'"  of  Sprosen  [Sprosten]  was  buryed  the  13'''  day  of  ffeb." 

1667.  John  Leadbeater"  of  the  Armitage  was  buried  the  11  Desember  [667. 

1668.  Jane  the  wife  of  Thomas  Sandelands  and  daughter  to  \\'illiam  Bate  of  Bate  Mill  was  buried 

July  13- 
i669[-7o].  .\nne  ye  wife  of  AP'  Leadbeater"  was  buryed  ffeb.  14.I' 

1672.  Hugh  Whibhall  of  the  Lees  was  buried  August  the  6"'. 

1673.  I\P' Andrew   Goodman  and  AP'^  Mary  Button   both  of  Hertford  Borough  in  Hertford  County 

were  married  August  ye  8'''. 
i673[-4].  Randle  Holland  dyed  at  Hulmes  Chappell  March    11'''   and   was  buryed  at   Middlewych 
March  ye  13"'. 

1677.     Silvester  Ashcroft  of  Ormskirke  in  the  county  of  Lancaster  gentleman  buried  in  Church  hulme 

the  29'''  day  of  December. 
167S.     Thomas  Culcheth  buryed  ye  26"'  of  July.     [See  his  tombstone  |>rinted  on  p.  167. 1 

1679.  Richard  Bolton  Clarke  of  the  fforge  was  buried  Sept.  23. 

,,         .Anne  daughter  of  John  Butterfield  ftiner  at  Crannagc  forge  was  buried  the  28'''  day  of  October. 

1680.  Thomas  Cotton  late  of  Cotton  I^sq.'i  dyed  at  Owld  ^\'ithington   the   third  day  of  November 

'   "  Mnry  fibster  de  Ilolliiis  Wiililuw  "  was  buried  2Ist  Oct.   1670. 

'   See  the  pedigree  of  R.iven  of  Elvvurtlr  under  .Sandbach  Township,  page  91. 

'■  In  the  transcripts  tliis  entry  is  simply  "  Edward  Hartshorne  and  Elizabeth  Leadbeater,  married  12""  day  of  November, 
1663."  1   See  the  pedigree  of  Davenport  of  Wheltrough  in  A'as^  Cluslii?T,  ii.  page  37S. 

"'  There  are  many  entries  relating  lo  the  Wilcoxon  family  in  the  Holmes  Chapel  Registers.  See  also  their  tombstones. 
PI..  167-8. 

"  In  the  transcripts  this  burial  is  entered  much  more  fully,  thus  :  "Cranage  Wilcoxon  gent,  buried  13"'  daieof  flebruaiie." 
"  See  the  Leadbeater  pedigree  under  Cranage  township. 

'■   In  the  transcripts  this  entry  is  "Aim  the  wife  of  John  Leadbeater  buried  ffeb.  14." 

'I  The  last  male  heir  of  the  old  family  of  Cotton  of  Cotton,  see  the  pedigree  under  that  townshi]).  His  wife  Ellen  was 
buried  here  9  Eeb.  1680-1. 


CHURCH  OF  HOLMES  CHAPEL.  179 

Ano  Domi    1680   and  was  buried  the  nynth  day  of  the    same    moneth  of  Novemlter 
aforesayd. 
These  two  entries  of  collections  by  "  briefs  "  are  entered  at  the  end  of  this  Register. 

November  the  — th,  1663.  Collected  the  day  and  yeare  aboves''  at  Church  Holme  for  the  ffire  in 
Northumberland  three  shillings  and  six  pence  and  from  absent  pishnors  three  shillings  ffoure  pence,  the 
some  is  \'f  10''. 

January  the  loth,  i663[-4].  Collected  at  Church  Holme  the  day  and  yeare  abovesayd  for  the  Cittye 
in  I.incornshare  [jvV]  Two  shillings  and  sixpence  and  from  absent  pishnors  seaven  pence,  the  some  is  iij'  j''. 

(Signed)  Mathew  Hull  cler. 
£>!,:/  of  Volume  I. 

Volume  n.  of  the  Registers  is  a  moderately  thick  folio  volume,  commencing  in  168 1.  It 
is  in  bad  condition,  having  lost  both  its  backs.  The  Baptisms,  Weddings,  and  Burials  are 
kept  distinct. 

BAPTISMS. 
16S3.     Benjamin  sonn  of  M''.  Daniell  Harrison  of  Cranage  bapt.  Nov,  2. 
1690.     Jane  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Crannage  Wilcockson  of  Sprosson  was  baptized  Nov.  2. 
1693.     Peter  the  son  of  Mr.  Humphrey  ffoster"'  of  Church  hulme  born  and  baptized  November  the  i*'. 
1726.     Obediah  son  of  M''^  Ellen  Rock  of  Cranage  widow  was  borne  the  seventh  of  May  1726  and  was 
baptized  the  14"'  of  the  same  month. 
„         Elizabeth  y"  daughter  of  Peter  Foster  gentleman  of  Church  [Hulme]  and  Jane  his  wife  was 
bapt.  Nov.  iS. 

1734.     Edward  the  son  of  the  Rev''  M''  Huls  of  Yocksel  in  Staffordshire  was  baptized  Oct  the  6"'. 

MARRIAGES. 

1682.'    May  8.   Robert  Hammond  ye  yonger  of  Gawsworth  and  Sarah  Johnson  of  Macklesfield  were 

maried  May  8"'. 
i6S9-[9o.]'i  Cranage  Wilcockson  of  Sproson  and  Anne  Vawdrey  of  Cotton  were  marryed  ffeb.  14. 
1694.=    M''  James  Russell  and  M''^  Mary  Dale  both  of  Sandbach  married  November  the  28"'. 
1700.     Robert    Fletcher  and  Eliz  :  Sanders,    he    of  Fairforde  in  y"=  County   of  Gloster  and   she  of 

Crannage  in  y''  Chappelry  of  Church  Hulme  were  married  May  y"^  28"'. 

1704.  July  27  Robert  Lindsay  of  Midlewich  in  the  County  of  Chester  Linen   Draper  and  Grocer 

and  Mary  Broome  of  Winteley  in  the  parish  of  Barthomley  spinster,  married. 

1705.  James  Chalton  of  Middlewich  and  Mary  Broome  of  Congleton   were   married   upon   Easter 

Sunday  being  y''  8"'  day  of  Aprill. 

1706.  Randle  Smalwood  of  North  Rode  in  y^'  Parish  of  Prestbury  and   Hannah  Twemlow  of  Arclid 

in  y''  parish  of  Sandbach  were  marryed  May  20"'. 

1707.  Paul  Steel  of  y^'  pish  of  Midlew"^''  and  Elizabeth  Maddox  of  Church  Hulme  in  y"^  pish  of 

Sandbach  were  marryed  Dec.  31'''. 

■■  A  s,on  Jet-eniia  was  baptized  30th  April,  1695,  and  other  children  aie  mentioned. 
'  These  entries  occur  at  the  end  of  the  volume. 
2    A    2 


,8o  SANDBACH. 


,yo7[-8].   Joseph   Steel  of  ye  parish  of  Wybenbury  and  Sarah  ffletcher  of  Crajielaw'  in  ye  jiarish  of 

Sandbach  were  married  February  y''  ii"'  1707-8  p  me  J.  Harwar. 
170S.     Thomas  Xettleton  of  ye  County  of  York  and  Ehzabeth  Cotton  of  Armitage  in  ye  County  of 

Chester  were  married  March  30'''. 
,,  Devereux  Eyton  of  Namptw'^''   Centleraan  and   Dorothy   Boult  of  Stockport   were  married  \e 

24  of  October  by  licence. 
1709.     Natlianiel  Cockyn  of  Boslum  in  ye  County  of  Stafford  and  Jane  Fou  .  .  .   [torn]  (?  Foulkes] 

of  ye  parish  of  S'  Oswald  in  ye  city  of  Chester  were  married  Sei)t  4. 
i7r3.      lolm    Twemlowe  of  Arclid  in  the  parish   of  Sandbach  yeoman  and  Jane  Broome  of  Betchton, 

In  the  said  jiarish  spinster  were  married  Dec.  30'''. 
I  7  15.      William    Westby  Cotton  of  Kemberton  in  ye  County  of  Salop,  Gentl.  and  M'*  Mary  Cotton 

of  Church  Hulme  were  marryed  the  first  day  of  September. 
I  7  19.      ]ohn  .Vcton  of  Macclesfield  and  Sarah  Shaw  of  Marton  were  marryed  .\pril  2'"'. 
1723.      Michael  Callbron  batchelor  of  the  City  of  York  and   FHzabeth  Harrison  spinster  of  the  jiarish 

of  Sandbach  were  married  Nov.  the  5"'. 
I  736.     Robert  Townlen  [siV  for  Townsend]  of  Chrislenton  [s/c-  for  Ciirisleton]  in  the  county  of  Chester 

and   Elizabeth    Farington   Daughter  of  W™  Farington  Esq.  of  Yarn  Shaw  [Earnshaw  or 

Fardshaw]  both  married  September  the  30'''." 

BURLVLS. 
16S4.     M'  William  Cotton  Esq''  was  buried  the  twentieth  day  of  .March. 
i6S7[-S].    M"  Judeth  Pulin  of  Cotton  was  buryed  Jan  :  25. 

,,         M''^  Dorcas  Wilcockson'  was  buryed  March  11'''. 
i6S8[-9].   M«  Anne  Bagnall"  buried  Jan.  18"'. 

1689.     M'"  Patience  Leadbeater^    of  the  Hermitage  was  buryed  September  6''. 
1691.     M''  John  .\mson  of  Church  Hulme  was  interred  March  2S"'. 

1696.     Samuel  the  son  of  Cranage  Wilcockson  of  Siirosson  and  .-Vnne  his  wife  buried  lune  9.-' 
1700.     Jane  \\"ilcockson  of  Macclesfield  was  interred  Sept  21. 

1714.  Ehzabeth  daughter  of  'I'homas  Richardson  of  Newington   ]!utts   in  ye  County  of  Surrey  was 

buried  Aprill  y''  5"'. 

1715.  ,M'^  Alice  Nichols  of  Ch.  Hulme  was  buryed  March  26. 

1722.      Richard    Brownsword  of  Burslem  in  ye  County  of  Stafford  Horse  Rider  was  buryed  y'  8"'  da\' 
of  May. 

i722[-3].   M'   Daniel  Cotton  of  Ch.  Hulme  Ircm  .Master  buryed  Jan  3. 

,,  .\  Travelling  boy  buryed  ye  12"'  dayof  Jan'>'. 

'  This  is  the  local  pronunciation  of  Crcsswallshaw  in  Betchton  town^liip  {m;c-  pat;e  153).  WilHam  lienintjlun  of  Wannin- 
iliani  parish  ami  .\nn  p'letcher  of  "  Cresselshaw"  were  married  at  Holmes  Chapel,  II  Dec.  1703. 

"  A  child,  "  .Sarah  daughter  of  M' Robert  Townlen  of  Chrislenlon  in  the  county  of  Chester,"  wa-.  baptized  here  i  ah 
.Sept.  1737.      See  the  pedigree  of  Smalhvood  of  Chelford.      {£,is/  Cluskh-i,  vol.  ii.  p.  366.) 

'  She  was  the  eldest  daughter  of  John  Terrick  of  Clayton  Griffith,  co.  Stafiord.     (.See  Visitation  of  Staft'ordshire,  1663.) 

""  'Ihe  will  of  .^nn  liagnall  of  Cranage,  widow,  was  proved  at  Chester  in  16S8. 

"  See  the  pedigree  of  Leadbeater  of  the  Hermit.nge,  under  Cranage  township. 

>   .Another  Samuel  was  buried  13th  April,  1700. 


CHURCH  OF  HOLMES  CHAPEL.  i8i 

1723.  Martha  the  daughter  of  M"'  Tho.  Bartlett  of  Church  Huhne'  and   AHce    his    wife    was  buried 

Nov.  the  2. 
i723[-4].  M''^  Sarah  Cotton  of  Church  Huhne  was  buried  the  13"'  day  of  January  lyf-j. 

1724.  John  Rutter  son  of  Jonathan   Rutter  and  Ann  his  wife  of  the  Parish  of  Saint  Paulc  Shadwell 

London  was  buried  Oct.  10"'. 
,,         Dorothy  the  wife  of  John  Swaine  of  Cranage  Schoolm''*  was  buried  the  28"'  of  Novciiiber. 
I  7  25[-6].   M''  Obadiah  Rock  of  Cranage  died  the  26"'  of  Feby  and  was  buried  the  i^'  of  ;\Larch. 
1726.     George  Carruthers  a  Scotsman  was  buryed  July  28*''. 

i727[-S].   M''  John  Rock  of  Cranage  died  December  ye  30"'  and  was  buried  January  ye  2'"'  1727-8. 
,,         Elizabeth  Holt,  widow,  a  Travelling  person  belonging  to  a  Township  called  Water  in   Heap  in 
Bury  in  Lancashire  was  buried  Jan.  ye  22,  1727-8. 
1730.     Littleton  Rea  of  Cranage  Gent  was  buried  May  3ot''. 

,,         Obadiah  son  of  M'*  Rock  of  Cranage  was  buried  June  7'''. 
i73o[-i].  Cranage  Wilcockson  of  Sprosson  was  buried  March  3. 

,,         M''*  East  of  Crannage  Scoole  was  buried  ALirch  16. 
1732.     Ann  \\'iIcockson  of  Sprosson  was  buried  Dec.  5"'. 

'73-[-3]-  ^P  William  Troton  (su-)  of  Cranage  Gent  was  buried  february  the  10'''  1732-3. 

£/!d  of  Volume  11. 

Volume  HP  is  a  long  folio  volume  some  leaves  of  which  are  loose.  The  Baptisms, 
Marriages,  and  Burials,  as  in  the  previous  volumes,  are  kept  distinct.  The  Baptisms  ami 
Burials  commence  in  1737  and  end  in  1812,  but  the  Marriages  end  in  1753.  The  Marriages 
from  1754  to  1812  are  in  a  separate  volume. 

BAPTISMS. 

1750.     Thomas  son  of  Thomas  Ashton  of  ye  Hermitage  Esq."  and  Mary  his  wife  bapt.  May  9"'. 
1762.     Thomas  the  son  of  M''  Thomas  and  Mary  Vawdrey  of  Millgate  bapt.  Sejjt.  6"'.    [Bur.  26  P)ec.] 
1764.     Jane  daughter  of  Elizabeth  and  Peter  Brooke  Esq"'  of  the  Hermitage  was  baptized  Aug.  9'''. 
1782.     Richard  son  of  ^\'illiam  and  Ann  Archer  of  Ch.  Hulme  bapt.  Aug.  31. 

1791.  Mary-Wyatt  the  daughter  of  the    Rev'*  Daniel    Nichols  and   Mary  his   wife  of  the   City  lA 

U'orcester  was  bajit.  July  7. 

1792.  Thomas  son  of  Benjamin  and  Margaret  Vigars  Catesby  of  Northamptonshire  was  bapt  July  6"'. 
1800.     Grace  Martha  the  daughter  of  Francis  Brownlow  Esq  and  the  Hon'''''  Lady  Katherine  his  wife 

of  Cranage  was  baptized  May  5"'. 
1808.     Edward  and  Ellen  the  son  and  daughter  of  John  Procter  Esq'  and  .Mice  his  wife  of  Cranage 

Hall  were  bapt''  August  1^'. 
1S09.     John  son  of  Alice  and  John  Procter  of  Cranage  Hall  Esq''  (having  been  privately  baptized  at 

Lancaster  two  years  before),  was  received   into  the   congregation  of  Christs   flock  and 

'   "  Thomas  son  of  M'  Thomas  Barllett  "  was  buried  5lh  Nov.  1726. 

"  Pciieiope,  a  daughter,  was  bapt.   6th    Feb.     1752  ;  Harriet,    25th  Nov.  1754  ;    Williani-llciny,  bapt.  2Sth    fune,  1757  : 
I.iicy,  bapt.  17th  Jan.  1759.     In  most  of  these  entries  the  parents'  name  is  spelt  "  Asheton." 
''  Another  daughter,  Lydia,  was  baptized  26th  Dec.  1S09. 


iS2  SANDBACH. 


.signed  «•"'   the  sign   of  the   Cross   this   6"'   day  of  January  1809  by  me  Tho'   Hodges 
Minister. 
iS[2.      Maria   daughter  of  ^Vi^iam  Worthington  Barlow  surgeon  and   Lucy  his  wife  (whose  maiden 
name  was  Hodges)  of  Church  Hulme  was  born  June  19"'  and  bajjt.  21^'. 

MARRIAGES. 

i737[-8].  Timothy  Cockshutt  of  tlie  parish  of  S'  Michael   Cornhill  London  and   Sarah  Danvers  of 

the  parish  of  S*  Peter  in  Liverpool  marry'd  January  15. 
i73Sr-9].   Richard  Olliver  and  Isabella  Browne  both  of  Manchester  marryed  January  21. 
1739.     William  Wardle  of  Henbury  Pexull  in  ye  parish  of  Prestbury  and  Mary  Hammond  of  Gows- 

worth  were  marryed  July  24. 
'75 '[-2].  Cranage  Wilcoxon  of  Sproston  and  Anne  Cartwrighf  of  Church  Hulme  marry'd  Feb.  4. 
1753.     Richard  Niccols  of  Warrington  and  l\Liry  Vawdrcy  of  Cranage  marryed  July  9"'. 
1759.     Nov.  5.     Thomas  Hodges'"  clerk  of  this  Chapelry  and  Ann  Wilco.xon  widow  of  this  Chapelry, 

married  by  Licence  by  John  Harding,  Curate  of  Astbury  in  the  presence  of  W™  Cartwright. 

B.  Bowyer. 
1785.     Thomas   Hodges''  clerk,  widower  of  this  Chapelry  and  Mary  Hilditch  of  this  Chapelry  spinster, 

married  by  I^icence  3  January  17S5  by  Thomas  Burroughs  Curate  of  Goostrey. 
17S8.     Thomas  Kendrick  Batchelor  of  the  parish  of  Sutton  Coldfield  co  AVarwick  and  Ann  Archer 

of   this  Chapelry  widow,  married   by  Licence  22"''  January,  in  the  presence    of   Anna 

Nicholls,  Charles  Yarwood. 
1802.     John   Johnson    of    the   Parochial    Chapelry   of  Witton  Gent  and  Hannah  Harrison  of  this 

Chapelry  widow  ALarried  by  Licence  25th  February. 

,.         The    Hon'''''  Coulson    'Wallop''  of   the    parish  of   Husborne  Priors,  Hampshire,   Member   of 

Parliament  and  Catherine    Townley    Keatinge  of   this  Chapelry  spinster,  were  married 

in  this  Chapel  by  Licence  2  April.     In    the    presence    of    Maurice    Keatinge,  Martha 

Keatinge. 
1805.     George  Naylor    of   the  parish  of  Liverpool  merchant  and  Mary  Harrison''   of  this  Chapelry 

spinster,  by  Licence  24  January,  in  the  presence  of  Webster  Harrison,  George  Moston. 
iSo6.     William   Worthington   BarlowS  of  this  Chapelry  surgeon  and  Lucy  Hodges  of  this  Chapelry 

spinster    married    by    Licence  26  November.     In    the    presence  of   Webster  Harrison, 

Maria  Ann  Hodges,  by  Thomas  Hodges  Minister  and  Father. 
1809.     James  Furnival  of  the  parish  of  Whitmore  co  Stafford  Batchelor  and  Anna  Nichols  of  Cranage 

s]iiuster  by  Licence  10  November,  in  the  presence  of  Richard  Vawdrey,  Peter  I'nwdrey. 

'  Slie  was  the  daughter  of  M'  John  Cartwright  of  Holmes  Chapel.  Her  husband  died  without  issue  in  1754,  and  she 
afterwards  married  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hodges  in  1759. 

''  For  an  account  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hodges,  see  the  list  of  Incumbents,  p.  174. 

"^  The  Hon.  Coulson  Wallop,  who  was  M.P.  for  Andover,  co.  Hants,  from  1796  to  1S02,  was  the  third  son  of  the  second 
h'.avl  of  Portsmouth.  He  was  born  on  the  19th  Sept.  1774,  and  married  Catherine-Townley,  the  only  daughter  of  Maurice 
Keatinge,  Esq.     He  died  at  'Verdun,  in  France,  on  the  31st  Aug.  1807,  without  issue. 

'  See  the  pedigree  of  Harrison  of  Cranage,  in  the  account  of  that  township. 

s  Mr.  Barlow,  who  practised  as  a  doctor  in  Holmes  Chapel  for  forty  years,  was  the  father  of  Thomas  Worthington 
P-arlow,  F.L.S.,  who  took  great  interest  in  antic]uarian  matters,  and  j^articularly  in  the  history  of  Holmes  Chapel  and 
district.  In  1853,  he  published  A  Sketch  of  the  History  of  the  Chiinh  at  Holmes  Chapel,  Cheshire,  of  which  only  a  few 
copies  were  printed.  He  printed  a  "second  edition,"  with  an  etching  of  Holmes  Chapel  as  a  frontispiece,  by  subscription,  in 
I  he  same  year,  of  which  only  70  copies  were  struck  off.     I  may  add  that  I  have  Mr.  Barlow's  own  copy  of  the  first  edition, 


CHURCH  OF  HOLMES  CHAPEL. 


i«3 


173S. 
1742. 

'744- 
1745- 
I  746. 

1751- 


1753 
1754' 
■756 
1761 
1762 

1763 
1764, 

1768. 
1769. 
1770. 

1774- 
1779- 

17S1. 

17S4. 


BURIALS. 

M'  Zachariah  Anison  of  y^  Lane  Ends  bury'd  Apr.  29. 

John  Lambeth  of  y'=  Forge  buried  September  26. 

Mary  Lambeth  of  y"  Forge  buried  Oct.  14. 

WilHam  y''  son  of  M''  Thomas  and  Alice  Bartlet  of  Church  Hulme,  buried  Aug.  26. 

M''  Thomas  Bartlet  of  Church  Hulme  buried  Dec.  12. 

Alice  Bartlet  of  Church  Hulme  buried  May  18. 

Richard  Vawdrey,  of  Mill-gate  buryed  Sept.  8. 

Edward  Buckley  from  Warmingham  Forge  bury'd  Oct.  30'''. 

Sarah  Shervvyn  of  y»  Parish  of  S'  Martyn  in  y-"  Fields  in  yc  Liberty  of  Westminster  buryd 
Dec.  8"'. 

Thomas  \\'ilcoxon  of  Sproston  Gentleman  bury'd  April  10. 

Cranage  AVilcoxon  of  Sproston  Gentleman  bury'd  Dec.  4. 

M''  Edward  Hulse  of  Elworth  buryed  Dec.  10. 

James  Heaton  School  Master  at  Cranage.     Buried  May  22. 

John  Yarwood''  of  Church   Hulme  (above  Forty  years  Gierke  of  this   Chapel)   was   buried 
Nov.  5. 

j\P'  Vawdrey  formerly  of  Milgate  buried  Oct.  15. 

M''^  Booth  School  Mistress  at  Cranage.     Buried  Jan>'  11. 

M''5  Jarrard  from  Sandbach  was  buried  May  14. 

Tho^  Prescot '  Esq''  from  Chester  was  buried  Nov.  5. 

AP'  Cranage  Wilcoxon  from  Middlewich  buried  Oct.  29. 

M''5  Hulsei  from  Elworth  buried  Sept.  5. 

Sarah  [dau]  of  M''  Rich'i  and  Mary  Nichols'^  of  Church  Hulme  buried  Oct.  15. 

Ap5  Mary  AVilcoxon  from  Chelford  was  buried  Jan>  2  i . 

yV  Tho^  Pedley  from  Manchester  was  buried  \p'  22. 

yi'  Tho*^  Vawdrey  from  Congleton  was  buried  May  30.     Ah  ^Miserum. 

\P'  Jn°  Hall  from  Congleton  was  buried  Jan>  30. 

Ann  wife  of  the   Rev''   Tho.   Hodges   Minister  of  this   Place  (a  truly  good  woman)  buried 

April  24  ! 


interleaved  and  full  of  interesting  .MS.  notes,  &c.,  and  that  the  Rev.  H.  G.  Barnacle,  the  Vicar  of  llulmcs  Chapel,  has 
Mr.  Barlow's  own  copy  of  the  second  edition,  also  interleaved,  and  containing  many  MS.  notes,  &c.  This  was  recently  sent 
him  from  London  by  a  total  stranger,  who  had  bought  the  book  in  London,  and  thought  it  ought  to  be  preserved  at 
Holmes  Chapel.  In  1S55  appeared  I'/ie  Cheshire  and  Lancashire  Historical  Collector,  mivio^oln'ca&i,  to  the  first  of  which 
appears  as  a  frontispiece  an  excellent  etching  of  Holmes  Chapel,  showing  the  church,  &c.  A  previous  book  published  in 
1S52  is  entitled  Clieshire  :  its  Historical  and  Literary  Associations,  by  T.  Worthington  Barlow,  Esq.,  F.I..S.,  of  Gray's  Inn, 
dedicated  to  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hodges,  ^LA.,  and  the  Rev.  Charles  Bishope  Hodges,  M.A.,  both  "Cheshire  men,"  l)y 
their  nephew,  the  Compiler,  ist  July,    1852. 

*■  See  his  tombstone,  p.  16S. 

'  There  is  no  tombstone  or  mural  tablet  to  Mr.  Prescot  now  in  the  church  or  churchyard,  nor  anything  to  indicate  why 
he  was  interred  here  rather  than  at  Chester. 

'  She  was  Mary  the  daughter  of  Edward  Hall,  of  Hermitage,  Esq.  She  married  the  Rev.  John  Hulse,  of  Elworth  (see 
also  p.  92). 

''  Another  daughter  Mary  was  buried  3  Nov.  1 770. 


iS4  SANDBACH. 


17SS.  Joseph  Varu'ood  Clerk  of  this  Chapel  buried  Nov.  5. 

17S9.  Anna'  wife  of  the  Rev"'  M''  Mainwaring  of  EUaston  in  the  County  of  l)crby  buried  April  14. 

1790.  Mary  the  wife  of  M'  \\'right  of  Cranage  was  buried  July  22, 

I  791.  M'  Henry  Seeley  (late  residing  at  Cranage)  was  buried  Jan.  14, 

1792.  M'  William  Cartwright  of  Church  Hulme  buried  June  i. 

179J.  M'^  \^awdrey  of  Middlewich  buried  April  20. 

M''  Thomas  Kent  of  Lostock  Gralam  buried  July  17. 

iSoi.  Strethill  Harrison'"  Esq''  of  Cranage  Hall  was  buried  May  2. 

1S04.  M''  Nichols  of  Church  Hulme  was  buried  Sept.  24. 

1806.  M''  Rich''  Nichols  of  Church  Hulme  was  buried  May  16. 

1810.  M''  Philip  Foden  from  Sandaway  buried  A]j'  iS. 

,,  Jn"  Procter  Esq"  of  Cranage  Hall  was  buried  June  i. 

E/iJ  (/  Volume  III. 

C)f  the  entries  in  the  subsequent  \'olumcs  only  a  few  can  here  be  noticed. 

BAPTISMS. 
1S16.     Lucy  daughter  of  ^Villiam  Worthington  and  Lucy  Barlow  surgeon,  baptized  Dec.  iC. 
I  Si  7.     Ann  daughter  of  Charles  and  Sarah  ^^'right,"  Lieutenant,  Church  Hulme,  baptized  .Vpril  24. 
1S28.     John  Norris  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Spalton  of  Cranage,!'  gentleman,  baptized  April  20 

by  Henry  Tomkinson  rector  of  Davenham. 
BURIALS. 
1S14.      ^p■'  Ann  Bridge  of  Davenham  buried  June  6  aged  40. 
,.         John   Armitsteadi  clerk,   of    Cranage    LLall,    buried  at   (roostrey,    August    27,   aged   50    by 

W'"  Vawdrey  Curat  of  Goostrey. 
1817.     M''=  ^Lary  Harrison'  of  Lancaster,  buried  Sept.  2c,  aged  73. 
1821.     The  Rev'' Thomas   Hodges  of  Church  Hulme  Minister  of  this  Chapelry  63  [should  be  65] 

years,-  buried  December  4,  aged  88  years,  by  Rev.  Gilbert  \'awdrey. 
1S23.     Stretliill  Harrison"'  of  Lancaster  buried  ^Lay  6,  aged  49. 
1828.     Mary  Hodges^  of  Congleton  buried  August  27,  aged  70. 
1828.     Thomas  Bayley  Hall'  of  Cranage,  buried  Sept.  16,  aged  82. 
1S31.     Thomas  Newton  Wright  of  Cranage  buried  Dec.  20,  aged  26. 
1836.     Harriet  Vyse  Armitstead"  of  Cranage  Hall,  buried  July  23,  aged  25. 

.Sec  lier  mural  monument,  p.    166. 
"  .See  the  pedigree  of  Harrison  of  Cranage  in  the  account  of  that  township. 
'  The  inscription  on  his  mural  monument  is  given  on  p.  163. 

'  Another  daughter,  Sarah,  no  doubt  a  twin  with  Ann,  was  liaptized  the  same  day. 
'  Another  son,  Charles- IVilliaiii,  was  baptized  15  July  1S30. 
1  See  the  Armitstead  pedigree  under  Cranage  township. 
'  See  the  pedigree  of  Harrison  of  Cranage,  in  his  account  of  that  township. 
"  See  i>.    174,  and  the  monumental  inscription  on  p.   164. 

See  his  mural  monument  on  p.  1O3,  ami  the  pedigree  of  the  family  of  Hall  of  the  Hermitage  under  Cranage  town-hip. 
'   Her  mural  monument  will  lie  found  on   p.  16". 


CHURCH  OF  HOLMES  CHAPEL.  185 


In  addition  to  the  entries  just  given,  and  those  of  the  families  of  Winnington,  Cotton, 
Leadbeater  of  the  Hermitage,  &c.,  Hall  of  the  Hermitage,  Harrison  of  Cranage,  Anison  of 
Cranage,  which  have  been  used  in  the  respective  pedigrees,  the  following  names  are  of  frequent 
occurrence  in  the  Holmes  Chapel  registers  : — Leadbeater,  Cranage,  Page,  Sandilands,  Kinsey, 
Broome,  Stubbs,  Cotton,  Amson,  \'awdrey,  Foster,  Yate,  Lowe,  Lowndes,  Tasker,  Coughin, 
Lingham,  Hewitt,  Culcheth,  Curbishley,  Bate,  Steel,  Deane,  Maddocks,  Bartlet,  Rock,  P^orster, 
Cliffe,  Woodcock,  Cadman,  Plant,  Yarwood,  Kenncrley,  Oakes,  \'crnon,  Booth,  Kirknian, 
Nicholls,  Whishaw,  and  Bolshaw. 

The  Churchwardens'  Accounts  of  Holmes  Chapel  begin  in  1716.  In  1853  Mr.  T. 
VVorthington  Barlow,  a  native  of  Holmes  Chapel,  published  in  the  Cheshire  and  Lancasliire 
Historical  Collector  a  very  full  series  of  notes  and  extracts  from  these  accounts,"^  together  with 
other  notes  on  the  history  of  the  place.  P""rom  these  extracts  the  following  memoranda  are 
taken.  The  accounts  for  17 16  contain  payments  made  to  clergymen,  who  occasionally  preached 
in  the  church,  various  payments  made  to  the  Ringers  on  special  occasions,  "the  clerk's  wages 
for  a  half  \'ear  and  for  whipping  dogs  out  o'th'  Church  lis.  3d."  These  are  repeated  )-ear 
after  year,  as  are  also  payments  of  one  shilling  a  head  for  "fox  heads."  In  1721  there  is  a 
payment  of  i6s.  6d.  for  a  stone  font,  and  for  a  licence  to  enlarge  the  church,  £},.  12s.  8d.,  and 
for  "two  tankards  and  a  salver"  8s.  2d.  A  new  pulpit  was  provided  at  a  cost  of  £^  in  1723, 
and  in  1726  a  porch,  and  a  gallery  at  the  west  end  were  added.  In  1732  there  was  paid 
£^'&.  13s.  for  rebuilding  the  chapel  wall,  and  in  the  following  year  is  the  quaint  entr)-,  "treating 
the  new  Vicar  of  Sandbach  M'  Allon  "  which  cost  7s.  In  1736,  i^20.  los.  was  spent  on  painting 
the  church,  and,  in  1743,  4s.  6d.  was  paid  for  "killing  sparrows."  In  1745  there  are  special 
payments  to  the  Ringers  who  celebrated  the  events  of  the  Rebellion,  the  taking  of  Carlisle,  the 
rebels  leaving  Stirling,  the  defeat  of  the  Rebels,  &c.  In  1747,  is.  2d.  was  paid  to  "  some  mer, 
for  searching  after  a  Woman  supposed  to  do  damage  to  people's  Cattle."  In  1759,  1760,  1761, 
there  are  many  entries  for  the  ringers  celebrating  various  victories,  &c.  In  1794  there  are 
payments  for  the  musical  services  of  the  church,  as  follows,  "  for  a  Bassoon,  £2.  2s.  ;  for  a 
Hautboy,  £\.  is.  ;  and  for  reeds,  3s."  To  the  Goostrey  Singers,  who  probably  came  over  to  give 
them  a  start,  5s.  was  paid,  and,  in  1796,  "  for  dressing  the  Singer's  Garland,"  a  sum  of  2s.  is 
charged. 

The  "la)'"  or  yearly  assessment  made  in  1716  contains  some  interesting  names  showing 
the  chief  landowners  in  the  Chapelry  at  that  time.  In  Cotton,  there  were  Thomas  Cotton,  P'sq., 
and  Randle  Vawdrey.  In  Cranage,  there  were  John  Amson,  Esq.,  John  P'enton,  gentleman, 
Madame  Hall  (of  the  Hermitage), Mr.  Edward  Hall,  Mr.  Harrison,  John  Chesworth,  Mr.  Whishaw 
(the  Incumbent),  Mr.  Young,  Mr.  P^oster,  Daniel  Vawdrey,  Mr.  William  Leadbeater,  Samuel 
Leadbeater,  and  Mr.  Comberbach.  In  Chiircli  Hiiline,  the  chief  people  were  Daniel  Cotton, 
gentleman,  Joseph  Allen,  Widow  Woodcock,  Mr.  Thomas  Griffith,  Mr.  William  Carter,  Mr. 
Cotton  for  Culcheths  [house],  Randle  Leadbeater,  Mr.  Edward  Vernon,  Mr.  Thomas  Bartlett, 
and  Mr.  William  Furni\-all. 

•  These  were  also  printed  in  the  second  edition  of  Mr.  Barlow's  account  of  Holmes  Chapel  (see  note  g,  p.  1S2).  I  am 
sorry  to  say  that,  although  many  inquiries  have  been  made,  no  trace  of  the.-;e  Churchwardens'  Accounts  can  now  be  found,  and 
it  is  not  known  what  became  of  them  after  Mr.  Barlow  examined  them  in  1853. 


i86  SANDBACH. 


Zljt  Cljaiitirs  brloncjing  to  tl)r  €l)nprlrp  of  |}olmr<j  (CbaprL 

The  following  is  the  List  of  Benefactors  to  the  Chapelry  of  Holmes  Chapel,  as  painted  on 
a  large  wooden  board  on  the  south  side  of  the  chancel : — 

Benefactors  to  the  Curate  and  Poor  of  this  Chapelrv. 

C;iven  by  Hugh  Wilmington  Esq''  the  Sum  of  thirty  six  shillings  to  be  yearly  paid  upon  S'  Thomas 
day  vi/.  twenty  four  shillings  to  the  Curate  and  twelve  shillings  to  the  poor  of  the  Chapelry. >' 

(;iven  by  M''  Thomas  Bagnall  to  the  Curate  the  interest  of  ten  pounds  and  to  the  poor  of  the 
Chapelry  the  interest  of  ten  pounds.' 

Criven  by  M''  Bagnall  to  the  poor  of  the  Chapelry  the  interest  of  ten  pounds.' 

Given  by  John  Amson"  to  the  poor  of  Church  Hulme  the  interest  of  five  pounds.'' 

Given  by  Thomas  Vawdrey  the  elder  to  the  [loor  of  Crannage,  the  interest  of  five  pounds,  by  Thomas 
Vawdrey  y"  younger  to  the  poor  of  Cotton  y"  interest  of  five  pounds. 

Given  by  one  of  the  family  of  the  Woodcocks  to  y"  poor  of  the  Chapelry  the  interest  of  five  pounds.' 

Given  by  Thomas  Carter  to  the  Curate,  the  interest  of  twenty  pounds  and  to  the  poor  of  Church 
Hulme  the  interest  of  twenty  pounds.'' 

Given  by  Peter  Yate  to  the  Curate  the  interest  of  twenty  pounds  and  to  the  poor  of  the  Chapelry  the 
interest  of  thirty  pounds.'' 

Given  by  M''  Thomas  Hall  to  the  Curate  the  interest  of  twenty  pounds,  by  M'*  Joanna  Hall  to  the 
Curate  the  interest  of  ten  pounds. 

Given  by  Abigail  Dean,  to  the  Curate  the  interest  of  five  pounds  &  to  y'  poor  of  Cotton  the  interest 
of  five  pounds.'' 

Given  by  Amy  Downing  to  the  Curate  the  interest  of  five  pounds  &  to  y"  poor  of  Church  Hulme  the 
interest  of  five  pounds.'' 

Given  by  Christian  Davenjiort  to  the  poor  of  Cranage  the  interest  of  five  pounds.'' 

Given  by  M''  Stanley  to  the  poor  of  Cranage  y*  interest  of  five  pounds. 

Given  by  Rich''  Taylor  to  y'"  poor  of  Cranage  y'  interest  of  five  pounds. 

Given  by  jNI"'  Liversage  to  y'  poor  of  y'  Chapelry  y'  interest  of  20  pounds. 

Given  by  Josiah  Deane  to  the  Curate  and  to  the  i)oor  of  Cranage,  of  Church  Hulme  and  of  Cotton, 
each,  the  interest  of  ten  pounds.'' 

(iiven  to  y"  poor  of  Cranage  by  Miss  Maria  Harrison  y'  sum  of  forty  five  pounds  invested  for  their 
use  in  the  Savings  Bank  at  Sandbach. 

Given  by  M''^  Deane  the  sum  of  twenty  ])ounds,  twelve  shillings  for  the  instruction  of  a  boy  in  the 
school  at  Cranage.  This  sum  at  the  death  of  Tho'  Hill  of  Cranage  in  whose  hands  it  was  deposited  was 
reduced  to  twelve  pounds,  twelve  shillings  being  eight  [s/c]  shillings  in  the  pound  on  the  above  sum  which 
is  now  invested  in  the  Savings  Bank  at  Sandbach. 

Some  further  particulars  of  some  of  the  above  charitable  donations,  and  others  not  there 
recorded,  may  perhaps  be  of  interest.  At  an  "inquisition  for  pious  uses,"  taken  31  March, 
1640,'' it  was  returned  that   "Thomas   Gandie  gent  late  of  Church   Hulme,  deceased,"  by  his 

'  Fiom  the  Cli.Tiity  Commi-.sioners'  Report,  1S36.  This  us.  w.is  a  ch.irge  on  the  liernut.ige  est.nte,  .ind  was  reguUirly  paid 
to  the  cluirchwan-iens.      It  is  noticed  in  the  lirst  volume  of  the  Registers  in  an  entry  made  about  1670. 

'  These  were  lost  by  having  been  lent  out  on  bad  securiiy. 

"  There  is  a  long  note  with  reference  to  this  benefaction  of  /^5  in  the  first  volume  o!  the  Registers.  John  .\nison's  will  is 
dated  7  Feb.   1669(70]. 

'■  Forms  part  of  the  Consolidated  Charities  of  the  township,  amounting  to  /,So  in  1S36,  part  of  which  had  been  expended 
loi-  parochial  ]iurposes,  and  on  which  the  u\erseers  paid  2Ss.  yeaily.  The  rest  was  believed  to  ha\e  been  distributed  at  the 
time  the  legacies  were  left. 

'    llarl.  M.'-;.  1,994,  f-   374- 


CHARITIES  OF  THE   CHAPELRY   OF   HOLMES   CHAPEL.  187 

will  [proved  15  August,  1626]/  had  left  ^10  "towards  the  mayntaj-ninge  of  a  preachinge 
minister  at  Church  Hulme,"  the  interest  to  be  paid  by  Jane  Gandie,  his  wife,  and  Edward 
Gandie,  his  brother,  whom  he  appointed  executors,  and  made  Hugh  Amson  and  John  Page, 
gent,  overseers.  He  also  left  ;^iO  for  the  relief  of  the  poor.  Also  that  William  Woodcock,  of 
London,  grocer,  and  Ralph  Woodcock,  of  London,  grocer,  had  each  bequeathed  /'lo  for  the 
poor  of  Church  Hulme,  the  interest  to  be  yearly  paid,  and  that  Thomas  Winnington,  of  the 
Ermitage,  had  bequeathed  ;^20  towards  the  minister's  stipend.^' 

Mr.  Richard  Welles,  of  Wigan,  co.  Lancaster,  gent,  (a  native  of  Sandbach,  and  brother  of 
the  Rev.  Thomas  Welles,  M.A.,  vicar  of  that  parish,  see  p.  49),  by  his  will  dated  8th  Dec,  1707, 
bequeathed  ^1,300  in  charities/  including  ij^ioo  "  to  the  chapel  of  Church  Hulme,  in  the  parish 
of  Sandbach,"  to  improve  the  incumbent's  stipend  (see  p.  169). 

Mr.  Thomas  Hall,  of  the  Hermitage,  built  two  schools  in  Cranage  (one  of  them  before 
1708),  and  charged  certain  lands  with  a  small  endowment  for  ten  poor  boys  and  ten  poor  girls, 
who  had  blue  coats  and  caps  and  blue  gowns  given  to  them,  and  each  was  presented  with  a 
Bible  on  leaving  the  school. ? 

''  Had.  MS.  2,103,  f-  75- 
'  Had.  MSS.  1,994,  f-  374.  ^"d  z.iOj,  f-  75- 

'  For  a  copy  of  the  mural  tablet  placed  to  his  memory  in  Wigan  church,  and  an  abstract  of  his  will,  see   Laihus/uir  and 
Clus/nre  Antiquarian  Notts,  1SS5,  vol.  i.  p.  I. 

e  See  more  about  these  schools  in  the  account  of  the  Hermitage,  page  214. 


i88 


SANDBACH. 


Cotton  of  Cotton 

(First   family). 


Cotton  of  Cotton 

^^ecand  family). 


Cotton  CoUJiisljii)* 


ilHERE  is  no  mention  of  this  township  in  the  Domesday  Survey,  but  according 
to  Wilh'amson's  ]'illarc  Cistriciise  (a  MS.  in  the  British  Museum),  its  earliest 
Icnown  possessors  were  a  famil\-  named  Frascr,  of  whom  Adam  Fraser,  in 
1204,  "pawned  the  whole  vill  [or  township]  to  Roger  de  Lacy,  constable  of 
Chester,  for  So  marks  of  silver  to  pay  his  debts  with,  as  'tis  expressed  in 
the  deed."  John  de  Lacy,  son  of  Roger,  granted  it  to  "Gilbert  de  Cotton, 
son  of  Judas  Kelly,  as  fully  as  John,  constable  of  Chester,  had  granted  it  to  Judas  Kcll\-,» 
ever  since  which  the  Cottons  have  been  lords  of  this  place." 

The  subsequent  descent  of  this  manor,  as  given  by  Dr.  Williamson,  cannot  now  be 
accepted  in  its  entirety,  as  he  seems  to  have  confused  this  family  of  the  Cottons  of  Cotton, 
with  the  contemporary  family  of  Cotton  of  Cotton  Edmunds,  also  in  Cheshire.  In  the 
absence  of  original  deeds  it  is  almost  impossible  to  give  the  exact  line  of  descent,  but  the 
following  references  from  various  old  records  appear  to  relate  to  this  township.  .A.  William 
de  Cotou  is  one  of  the  witnesses  to  a  charter  of  Henry,  the  son  of  Orme  de  Hulme,  of 
(  liurch  Hulme,  of  about  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth  century,  whilst  towards  the  end 
of  that  ceiitur_\-  Henry  de  Coton  (xcurs.''  On  the  Cheshire  Plea  Rolls  of  the  Jth  Edward  H. 
[13 '.5].  Henry,  son  ot  Henry  de  Coton,  is  mentioned  as  acquiring  lands  in  Curte\-shulm 
[.'  Church  Hulme],  and  he  is  probably  to  be  identified  with  the  Henry  de  Coton,  who, 
according  to  Dr.  Williamson,  in  the  2nd  Edward  \\\.  [1329],  held  the  vill  of  Coton,  under 
tlv  barony  of  Halton,  by  the  twentieth  part  of  one  knight's  fee. 

About  this  period  John  de  Coton  is  frequently  mentioned  in  deeds  relating  to  this 
pait   of  Cheshire,  from    I  50S    to    1530,'    and    is   probabl)-   to   be   identified   with    the   person   of 


'   I  give  these  names  as  they  appear  in  William  on's   MS.,  but   they  aie,  to  sav  the  least,  very  unusual   ones.      His  MS. 
er^tooi]  to  be  based  on  original  deeds  ur  copies  of  such  examined  by  hini. 

"  Early  deeds  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  K.  H.  Wood,  F.S..\.,  of  Kugl'y.     See  also  }iarl.  MS.  2,131,  f.  129. 
■■  See  John  Booth's  MS.  collections.     Liber  E. 


COTTON    TOWNSHIP.  189 


that  name,  who,  according  to  the  pedigree  drawn  up  by  John  Booth,  of  Twemlow,  the 
genealogist,  married  Christian,  daughter  and  heir  to  Richard  de  Sidington.''  Possibly,  too, 
he  is  the  same  as  the  John,  son  of  William  de  Coton,  who,  according  to  the  Cheshire 
Plea  Rolls,  acquired  lands  in  Wimboldesley,  in  the  3rd  Edward  III.,  1329,  which  lands  seem 
to  be  those  mentioned  in  the  later  Inquisitions  post  niortcin  of  the  Cottons  of  this  township. 
In  the  6th  Richard  II.  [1382-3],  Robert  de  Cotton,  of  Cotton  (who  was  probably  son  or 
grandson  of  the  last-mentioned  John),  granted  to  Hugh  de  Hulme,'  a  messuage  in  Middle- 
wich,  and  to  this  deed  a  seal  bearing  the  Cotton  arms  with  the  superscription,  "  Sigillum 
Roberti  de  Coton,"  was  attached. "^  According  to  Dr.  Williamson,  in  this  year,  "  Robert 
Cotton,  of  Cotton,  who  bound  himself  to  serve  under  Sir  Thomas  dc  Carington  with  a 
horseman  and  three  archers  in  the  crusade  made  by  the  bishop  of  Norwich,  settled  on 
Robert  Grosvenor  and  Thomas  Davenport,  of  Betchton,  all  his  lands,  etc.,  with  their  appur- 
tenances in  Cotton  and  Hulme,  etc."  Thomas  de  Cotton,  probably  the  son  of  Robert- 
occurs  in  141 5,»  and  two  years  later,  in  1417,  he  and  Katherinc,  his  wife,  petitioned  for 
dower  from  the  lands  of  John,  son  of  John  Gryftyn,  knt.,  late  husband  of  the  said  Katherine.'' 
In  the  8th  Henry  V.  [1420],  he  occurs  together  with  Robert  de  Xedham  and  John  de 
Wynington,  of  Northwich,  as  a  collector  of  a  subsidy  in  Northwich  Hundred.''  In  the 
5th  Henry  VI.  [1427],  according  to  Dr.  W'illiamson,  "Sir  Thomas  Grosvenor  remitted  to  Thomas 
Cotton,  of  Cotton,  all  his  right  in  all  the  lands,  etc.,  in  Cotton,  Hulme,  and  Biddulph,  co. 
Stafford  ;  the  which  Thomas  Cotton,  in  the  same  year,  passed  to  Thomas  Hassall,  \icar 
of  Sandbach,  all  his  lands,  etc.,  in  Cotton,  who  in  the  12th  Henry  VI.  [1434]  settled  on  the 
said  Thomas  Cotton  and  Katherinc  his  wife  and  their  heirs  male,  the  manor  of  Cotton. 
etc.,  then  to  John,  their  son,  and  his  heirs,  etc." 

This  John  Cotton,  of  Cotton,  according  to  Booth's  pedigree,  married  Katherinc,  daughter 
and  heir  of  William  Holt,  of  Holt,  near  Middlewich,  and  had  issue  Thomas  Cotton  and  Richard 
Cotton,  from  the  latter  of  whom  descended  the  family  of  Cotton,  of  Whittington,  co,  Gloucester.' 
John  died  in  March,  1476,  and  by  the  Inquisition  post  iiiortcin  taken  in  that  yearJ  his  son  and 
heir,  Thomas,  was  then  twenty-one  years  of  age.  This  TuOM.\s  Coi'TON,  of  Cotton,  married 
Beatrice,  daughter  and  heir  of  Thomas  Daniel,  of  Cherry-tree  hurst,  in  Lymm,  and  was  living 
in  1497  and  1503,  but  was  dead  in  1505.  His  son  and  heir,  W'illi.\M  C<-)TTon,  of  Cotton, 
married  Emma,  daughter  of  Thomas  Sinethwick,  of  Smethwick,  near  Brereton,  and  was  living 
in  1503,  but  was  dead  before  1520.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son  and  heir,  THO.\r.\s  Cotton, 
of  Cotton,  who  married  Marger\-,  daughter  of  John  Winnington,  of  the  Hermitage,  the  marriage 
settlement  being  dated  28th  Feb.  1503.  This  Thomas  was  living  in  1527  and  1541,  but  was 
dead  in  1566. 

His  eldest  son,  John  Cotton,  of  Cotton,  Esq.,  who  succeeded,  was  appointed  Escheator  of 
Cheshire,  in  1560,  for  his  life.     B)-  his  wife  Alice,  daughter  of  Edward  Minshull,  of  Minshull,  Esci., 

"■   See  also  Harl.  MS.  2,119,  f-  '3^- 

'  Kathcrine,  the  w  dow  of  Rober',  son  of  William  ile  Cotton,  released  to  Hii^h  de  Hulme,  all  her  right  to  a  messuage  in 
.\[iddlewich,  7  Richard  H.,  13S3.      (John  Booth's  .\ISS.  Liber  E.  f.  33c.) 

'  John  Booth's  MS.  Liber  E.  f.  33b. 

s  Cheshire  Recognizance  Rolls.  He  and  Randle  de  Merton,  Robert  del  Shagh  and  William  de  Coton  were  bound  in 
;^20  to  the  king  that  Agnes  del  Shagh  keep  the  peace  towards  Ralph  Tryvet  and  do  not  burn  his  houses. 

"   Ibid.     ibid. 

'  Visitation  of  Gloucestershire,  1589.      (Hatl.  NLS.  2,119,  f-  >32)- 

'   Harl.  MS.  2,077. 


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he  had  three  sons  and  eight  daughters.  He  died  on  the  Sth  Aug.  1579,  and  in  his  Inquisition 
/f.\7  W(?/'/f-w  taken  ytli  March,  i  581-2,  it  was  returned  that  he  had  died  seised  of  the  manor 
of  Cotton,  held  of  the  Queen  as  of  her  baron)'  of  Halton,  and  lands  and  tenements  in  Church 
Ifulme,  Sproston,  Middlcuich,  Newton,  \\'imbaldesle\-.  Church  MinshuU,  co.  Chester,  and  in 
H\dull  or  Bydulph,  co.  Stafford.  Edward,  his  son  and  heir,  was  then  forty  )-ears  of  age.  In 
ills  will  dated  7th  Aug.  1579,  he  desires  his  bod}-  to  be  buried  in  the  chancel  of  Church  Hulme, 
and  he  leaves  towards  the  reparation  of  the  said  church  6s.  8d.,  and  to  Sir  Rauffe  Dutton, 
curate  there,  also  6s.  8d.  To  his  brother-in-law,  RonduU  Mynshull,  he  bequeaths  "  my  blacke 
gowne  lyncd  w"'  lambe  [wool]  and  my  Spanish  buskins  furred  and  for  that  I  have  somewhat 
over  worne  the  said  gowne  I  doe  geve  to  the  said  Rondull  a  gowne  clothe  of  my  wyves 
makinge,  which  I  prov\'ded  for  myselfe."  He  mentions  another  brother-in-law,  George 
Mynshull;  his  son,  Thomas  Cotton;  his  brother,  Arthur  Cotton  ; ''  and  to  his  son  and  heir, 
Edward  Cotton,  he  leaves  all  his  "  armour."  There  are  legacies  to  his  wife  Alice,  his  son  Thomas, 
and  his  daughter  Katherine,  and  "to  all  my  f\'\-e  doghters  w'''  be  marryed."'  Alice  Cotton,  his 
widow,  appears  to  have  gone  to  reside  at  Nantwich,  where  she  was  buried  on  the  1 1  th  Dec.  1 586. 
In  her  will  dated  6th  Dec.  1586,  and  proved  at  Chester  28th  March,  1587,  she  leaves  to  Mr. 
Hawford  [Holford]  3s.  4d.,  mentions  her  brother,  James  MinshuU,  and  many  people  then  living 
at  Nantwich.  She  leaves  a  legacy  to  Randle  Parker  [of  Nantwich],  preacher,  and  to  "  Margerie 
Cirayc,  widow,  of  the  countie  of  Suffolk,  who  shortlic  I  truste  shall  be  wyffe  to  the  said  Randle," 
and  appoints  him  and  Thomas  MinshuU,  of  Nantwich,  mercer,  her  executors  and  residuary 
legatees. 

Enw.xKl)  Cotton,  of  Cotton,  Esq.,  who  was  forty  years  of  age  in  1582,  married,  firstl}-, 
Katherine,  daughter  of  John  Aldersey,  of  Aldersey  and  Spurstowe,  co.  Chester,  Esq.,  by 
w  hom  he  had  a  large  family  ;  and,  secondly,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Richard  Hurleston,  of 
I'icton,  CO.  Chester,  and  Hurleston,  co.  Lane,  Esq.,  to  whom  he  was  married  at  Over  in 
1596.  She  survived  him,  and  married  for  her  second  husband  Thomas  Gregg,  of  Bradley, 
CO.  Chester,  gent.,  and  was  living  in  1619.  Mr.  I'Ldward  Cotton  died  25th  Sept.  1603,  and  was 
buried  at  Holmes  Chapel.'"  His  brother,  Thomas  Cotton,  married  at  Goostrey,  13th  Feb. 
1593-4,  Margaret,  daughter  and  heir  of  Thomas  Kinsc}-,  of  Blackden,  gent.,  and  widow  of 
Thomas  Baskervyle,  of  Old  W'ithington,  gent.,"  but  had  no  issue  by  her.  He  lived  at  Blackden, 
and  was  buried  at  Goostrc)-,  13th  Sept.  1616.  In  his  will  he  styles  himself  Thomas  Cotton,  of 
Blackden,  co.  Chester,  gent.,  refers  to  the  \-arious  settlements  made  on  his  marriage,  and  leaves 
legacies  to  many  of  his  wife's  famih-  b\-  her  first  husband."  His  wife  sur\ived  him,  and  was 
buried  at  Goostre}',  22nd  Nov.  1621.!'  Her  will,  dated  i8th  Oct.  1621,  does  not  contain  much  of 
general  interest. 

Edward  Cotton  was  succeeded   by  his  eldest  surviving  son  and  heir,  EDWARD  COTTON,  of 

^  This  Arthur  Cotton  (brother  of  John)  was  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel,  21st  April,  1596. 

'  Printed  by  the  Chetham  .Society,  Lancashire  and  Cheshire  Wills,  Part  II.,  pp.  178-9. 

'"  His  Funeral  Certificate,  which  gives  the  names  of  his  two  wives  and  his  children,  etc.,  has  been  printed  by  the  Record 
.Society,  Cheshire  P'uneral  Certificates,  p.  63.  His  will,  a  very  short  one  and  devoid  of  interest,  is  dated  1603,  and  was 
I>roved  on  the  26th  November  in  that  year. 

"  .See  the  KasUervyle  pedigree  in  East  Cheshire,  vol.  ii.  p.  372,  but  the  entry  of  the  burial  of  this  Margaret,  at  Goostrey, 
(jn  the  23rd  March,  1 590-1  must  be  erased. 

°  He  bequeathed  inter  alia,  "two  of  my  best  blankets  which  do  lye  in  one  o(  my  slanJartes,"  a\<,r>  "  my  lesser  greate 
s/ividarte,  the  biggest  but  one";  "also,  my  dankesliorde  m  my  chamber  with  the  box  belongiiiij  to  it,  and  my  two  woven 
cushions  of  Yorkeshire  worke."  In  his  inventory  one  of  the  items  is  "  Two  greate  stiindarde  e/iests  covered  w""  leather  and 
boimd  w'^  yron,"  valued  at  iiij"  [jCa]- 

''  In  her  will  she  desired  to  be  buried  "  in  the  chauncell  of  Goostrie  Chappell  in  our  antient  buriall  place." 


COTTON  TOWNSHIP.  193 


Cotton,  Esq.,  who  about  1602  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Richard  Brereton,  of  Wctenhall 
and  Eccleston,  CO.  Chester,  Esq.,  by  whom  he  had  three  sons  and  four  daughters.  He  was  buried 
at  Holmes  Chapel,  21st  Nov.  1618,1  and  his  Inquisition  post  niortcin  was  taken  on  iSth  Sept. 
1619.  It  is  a  long  document,  naming  all  his  manors  and  lands.  He  died  seised  of  the  manor 
or  lordship  of  Cotton,  a  capital  messuage  called  Cotton  Hall,  other  messuages,  a  water-mill,  a 
dove-house,  and  lands  there,  the  manor  of  Hulme,  alias  Church  Hulme,  which  his  father  had 
purchased  from  Sir  Richard  Bulkeley,  of  Cheadle  and  Beaumaris,  Knt.,  in  1580,  and  messuages 
and  lands  there  and  in  Minshull  Vernon,  Wymboldesley,  Church  Minshull,  Middlewich, 
Newton,  and  Sproston,  all  in  co.  Chester,  and  Bydulph  and  Knypersley,  co.  Stafford.  It  also 
recites  certain  deeds  of  settlement  made  by  Edward  Cotton,  his  father,  dated  1602  and  1603, 
and  also  indentures  made  in  1606  and  161 7,  to  which  he  himself  had  been  a  part}'. 

Edward  Cotton,  his  son  and  heir,  then  fifteen  years  of  age,  succeeded  him.  He  married,  in 
Feb.  1622-3,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  William  "■  Bispham,  of  Billing,  co.  Lancaster,  gent.,^  but  died 
without  issue,  and  was  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel  28th  June,  1623.  His  Inquisition /oj/  iiwrteui, 
taken  17th  Oct.,  1623,  is  also  a  very  long  document,  mentioning  the  same  lands  as  that  of  his 
father,  above  referred  to,  and  reciting  the  same  settlements.  JOHN  COTTON,  his  brother  and 
next  heir,  then  sixteen  years  of  age,  died  unmarried,  and  the  estates  passed  to  the  next  brother, 
Thomas  Cotton,  of  Cotton,  Esquire.  He  married,  according  to  the  Cheshire  Visitation  of 
1664,  Eleanor  Lucet,  but  his  only  child  Thomas  died  young,  and  he  sold  the  manor  of  Cotton, 
etc.,  to  his  namesake  William  Cotton,  of  Conington,  co.  Huntingdon,  Esq.  He  was  buried  at 
Holmes  Chapel  on  9th  Nov.  1680,  as  "  Thomas  Cotton,  late  of  Cotton,  Esquire,  dyed  at  Ould 
Withington,  Nov.  3,"  and  his  widow  was  buried  there,  9th  Feb.  1680-1.  He  died  intestate, 
administration  of  his  effects  being  granted  on  the  24th  Nov.  1680.  The  pedigree  on  pages  190-1 
traces  the  descent  of  this  family  in  more  detail  than  could  be  done  in  the  text.  The  earlier 
descents,  as  already  explained,  are  not  at  present  very  clearly  determined. 

William  Cotton,  of  Cotton,  Esq.  (as  he  was  styled  in  1675-6),  who  purchased  the  manor 
of  Cotton,  etc.,  from  Thomas  Cotton,  Esq.,  was  the  fourth  son  of  Sir  Thomas  Cotton,  Bart.,  M.P. 
for  CO.  Huntingdon,  who  died  in  1662,  and  grandson  of  Sir  Robert  Cotton,  Bart.,  the  founder  of 
the  Cottonian  Library  in  the  British  Museum.  He  married  Mary,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Robert 
Pulleyn,  of  Thurleston,  co.  Leicester  (brother  of  the  then  Dean  of  Lincoln),  by  whom  he  had 
i.ssue,  two  sons  and  four  daughters.  He  was  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel  20th  March,  1684-5,  as 
"  Mr.  William  Cotton,  Esq."  He  was  succeeded  by  his  only  surviving  son,  THOMAS  COTTON,. 
of  Cotton,  Esq.,  who,  by  the  death  of  his  uncle,  Philip  Cotton,  inherited  estates  at  Conington, 
CO.  Huntingdon.  He  married  Anne,  daughter  and  heir  of  Thomas  Andrews,  and  had  issue 
two  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom  died  j'oung  except  Frances,  the  j-oungest,  who 
married  Dingley  Ascham,  Esq.,  who,  in  1738,  sold  the  manor  of  Cotton  to  Thomas  Bayle\-' 
of  the  Inner  Temple,  Esq.,  who  died  without  issue  in  1740.  By  his  will,  dated  15th  Oct.  1739, 
he  devised  all  his  estates  in  Cheshire  and  Staffordshire  to  his  mother,  Mrs.  Jane  Bayley,  of 
Nantwich,  widow.  She,  in  like  manner,  by  her  will,  dated  i8th  Sept.  1745,  devised  the  manors 
or  lordships  of  Cotton   and  Church  Hulme,  together  with  all  her  messuages,  lands,  and  tenc- 

1  By  a  mistake  in  the  Inquisition  he  is  stated  to  have  died  20  September,  161S.  His  burial  is  21  A'lnvinier  both  in  the 
Register  and  also  in  the  transcript  at  the  Bishop's  Registry,  Chester. 

■■  This  William  Hispham  is  miscalled  Thomas  in  the  Cheshire  Visitation,  1664,  in  the  Heralds'  College. 

"  The  Funeral  Certificate  of  this  William  Bispham  is  printed  in  Cheshire  and  Lancashire  Funeral  Certificates  (Record 
Society),  pp.  19S-9,  and  from  this  it  appears  that  the  widow  of  Edward  (there  miscalled  Thomas)  Cotton  married  lor  her 
second  hu^band  Thomas  Bankes,  Esquire,  of  Houam,  (?)  co.  Middlesex,  and  had  issue. 

2    C 


194 


SANDBACH. 


mcnts,  in  Cotton,  Hulmc  alias  Church  Huhne  alias  Huhncs  Chapel,  Sproston,  and  Cranage, 
w  hich  had  been  purchased  b}'  her  or  licr  son,  to  Weston  Bayle\-,  (jf  Madeley,  co.  Stafford,  Esq., 
and  James  Bayley,  of  Stapeley,  co.  Chester,  Esq.,  and  their  heirs,  in  trust,  for  her  son-in-law, 
Thomas  Hall,  Esq.,  for  his  life,  with  remainder  to  her  grandson,  Thomas  Bayley  Hall,  and  his 
heirs  male  in  tail  male.  Thoma.S  H.VLL,  of  Hermitage,  Esq.,'  had  married  her  daughter 
lllizabeth  (then  dead)  b)^  whom  he  had  an  only  son,  THOMAS  Baylev  Hall  Esq.,  who  suc- 
ceeded to  these  estates  on  his  father's  death  in  1748.  He  held  them  till  his  death  in  1828, 
when  they  were  sold.  The  manor  of  Cotton  was  purchased  by  Lawrence  Armitstead,  Esq., 
and  has  passed,  with  the  rest  of  his  estates,  as  described  under  Cranage.  The  second  line  of 
Cotton  of  Cotton  is  shown  in  the  accompanying  pedigree.  ' 


Cotton,  of  Cotton.      (S-ccouTj  .faimli)  ) 


WlI.TIAM    COI'TON,      = 
of  Cotton,  esquire, 

fourth  son  of 

Sir  Thomas  Cotton, 

Bart.,  M.P.    Called 

"of  Cotton"  in  1664. 

Bur.  at  Holmes  Chapel, 

20  Mar.  1684-5,  =is  "  Mr. 

William  Cotton,  Esq'." 


=     M.ARY,  dau.  of  the 

Rev.  Robert  Pulleyn, 

of  Thurleston, 

CO.  Leicester 

(brother  of 

the  Dean  of  Lincoln). 

Bur.  at  Holmes  Chapel, 

15  Feb.  1713-14- 


Authorities :  Btirke's  Extinct 
Baronetage  ;  Registers  of 
Holmes  Chapel  ;  Harl. 
MS.,  2,153,  '^c.  &c. 


Anns:   Azure,  an  Eagle 
displayed  Argent. 


I 

William  Cotton. 

Bapt.  at 

Holmes  Chapel, 

12  March,  1675-6. 

Bur.  there  20  Oct. 

1676. 


I 

Thomas  Cotton, 

of  Cotton,  esquire. 

Born  tr.  1 669, 

ict.  15  in  1684. 


William  Cotton. 
Bapt.  at  H.  C. 
25  Dec.  1705. 

Bur.  there 
27  Dec.  1705. 


Robert  Cotton. 
Bapt.  at  H.  C. 

10  May,  1710. 
Bur.  there 

13  May,  1710. 


Mary  Cotton. 

Bapt.  at  H.  C. 
19  Feb.  1704-5. 

Bur.  there 
26  Feb.  1704-5. 


Elizabeth  Cotton. 

Bapt.  at  H.  C. 

9  Feb.  1706-7. 

Died  young. 


I  I 

-  Annk,  dau.  and  Mary  Alice 

heir  of  Cotton,  Cotton. 

Thomas  Andrews        marr.  to  Bapt.  at 

(grandson  and  heir       Jonathan  H.  C. 

of  Sir  Thomas  Symonds,        28  Aug. 

Andrews,  Knt.,  of  Great  1680. 

citizen  of  London)       Ormesby,        Marr.  to 
by  Anne,  dau.  and     co.  Norfolk.       William 
heir  of  Samuel  Shiers. 

Shute,  Esq., 
sheriff  of  London.  j    j 

Catherine  Cotton. 

Bapt.  at  H.  C. 
25  Sept.  1681. 

Frances  Cotton. 

Bapt.  at  H.  C. 

5  Dec.  1682. 

Marr.  to  D'  Lewis, 

of  London. 


I 
J- ranees  Cotton. =  Dingley 
Bapt.  at  H.  C.  Ascham, 

10  Nov.  1708. 
Heinss  to  her 
father. 


Esq. 

Sold 
Cotton 
in  173S. 


Cotton  Hall  is  now  occupied  by  a  farmer.  A  portion  of  the  Hall  still  retains  its  old 
black  and  white,  timber  and  plaster  front,  as  shown  in  the  illustration  on  the  next  page.  It  has 
recently  been  carefully  restored  by  the  Rev.  J.  R.  Armitstead,  the  owner  of  the  Cotton  estate. 

Another  family  of  the  name  of  CoTTON  deserves  a  passing  mention,  although  the  name  is 
a  very  common  one  in  this  Chapclry.  On  the  floor  of  the  church  at  Holmes  Chapel  is  a  large 
tombstone  bearing  the  old  Cotton  arms,  a  chevron  between  three  cotton  hanks,  and  recording 
the  death  of  Daniel  Cotton,  of  Holmes  Chapel,  gent.,  who  was  buried  there  3rd  Jan.  1722-3.  He 
was  an  "  iron-master,"  and  there  arc  occasional  references  to  him  in  the  Holmes  Chapel 
Registers,  but  I  have  not  at  present  been  able  to  trace  his  parentage.  He  appears  to  have 
been  four  times  married.  His  first  wife,  Sf.rah.  by  whom  he  had  surviving  issue,  Thomas  and 
Sarah,  was  buried  at   Holmes  Chapel,  loth  Aug.,  1701.     His  second  wife,  Lydia,  by  whom  he 

'  A  pedigree  of  this  family  will  be  found  in  the  account  of  the  Hermitage  estate  under  Cranage  Township. 


COTTON  TOWNSHIP. 


195 


had  a  son,  Dugard  Cotton,  who  died  an  infant,  was  buried  there  3rd  March,  1704-5.  His  third 
wife  was  Sarah,  daughter  of  John  Booth,  of  Twemlow,  Esquire,  to  whom  he  was  married  at 
Goostrey,  28th  August,  1707.  By  her  he  had  issue,  John  and  Ann,  who  died  young,  and 
Frances,  who,  as  will  be  shown  under  Twemlow,  became  heiress  to  her  grandfather,  and  married 
William  Bache,  of  Dodlespool,  co.  Chester.  Daniel  Cotton's  fourth  wife,  named  Anne,  survived 
him,  and  was  living  in  1724.  He  died  intestate,  administration  of  his  effects  being  granted  at 
Chester  on  the  31st  Jan.  1722-3.  The  tombstone  of  his  daughter,  Sarah  Cotton,  also  bearing 
a  large  shield  of  arms,  is  near  his  own  on  the  floor  of  the  church  at  Holmes  Chapel  (see 
p.  166).  She  was  buried  there  13th  January,  1723-4.  In  her  will  she  refers  to  her  sister  Frances, 
and  her  mother-in-law  [sic  for  step-mother],  Mrs.  Ann  Cotton,  and  appoints  her  brother 
Thomas  sole  executor,  and  desires  him  to  distribute  .^^400  in  charity. 


Cotton  H.\ll. 


c  2 


196 


SANDBACH. 


f>rrllljam  of  Crnnntir. 


KliiiningtDii  nf 
tijr  3t)frnutagr. 


Srmits'trati  of  Craii.igr 


Cranage   Colyudi)ip, 


X    the   Doincsdav  Survey,  taken    in    1086,   the    following   entry    is   believed   to   refer 
to  this  township  : — '' 


Robertus  [fitz  Hugh]  tenet  de  Comite  Croenache. 
("lodric  tenuit  et  liber  homo  fuit.  Ibi  i  hida  gel- 
dabilis.  Terra  est  i  carucata  et  dimidia.  Ibi 
I  radman  et  unus  villanus  habent  dimidiam  caru- 
latam.  Ibi  silva  dimidia  leuva  longa  et  xl  perticis 
lata  et  ibi  i  haia.  Wasta  fuit.  Modo  valet 
1 1 1  solidos. 


Robert  [Fitz  Hugh]  holds  of  the  Earl  [of 
Chester]  Croenache.  Godric  held  it  and  was  a 
free  man.  There  is  i  hide  rateable  to  the  geld 
[tax].  The  land  is  i  carucate  and  a  half  There 
I  radman  and  i  villein  have  half  a  carucate. 
There  is  a  wood  half  a  league  long  and  40  perches 
broad,  and  there  is  one  hedged  enclosure.  It  was 
waste.  Now  it  is  worth  3  shillings. 
The  chief  portion  of  the  lands  here  were  held  at  a  very  early  period  by  the  Cro.xton 
family,  a  younger  branch  of  which  took  its  name  from  this  township.  Lidulph  de  Croxton, 
Sheriff  of  Cheshire,  about  the  year  1200,  granted  to  Randle,  his  brother,  the  fourth  part  of  the 
vill  or  township  of  Cranage,  and  this  Randle  was  the  ancestor  of  the  family  of  the  Cranage.s. 
members  of  which  occur  on  the  Chcsliire  Pica  Rolls,  the  Recognizance  Rolls,  &c.  There  are  also 
collections  of  deeds  relating  to  them  copied   in  the  Harleian   MSS.  2,074  ^"d  2,119,  but  few,  if 

*  This  Has  t)>cn  inclmled  in  Hanieston  Hundred,  now  Macclesfield  Hundred  :  and  it  is  not  improbable,  as  suggested  by 
Dr.  Ormerod,  that  it  includes  the  township  of  Twcnilow,  which  closely  adjoins  the  present  Macclesfield  Hundred.  Robert 
F'itzHugh  was  of  Malpas,  and  had  most  of  his  estates  in  that  part  of  Cheshire. 


CRANAGE  TOWNSHIP.  197 


any,  are  of  special  local  interest.  Henry  de  Cranach  (the  son  of  Randle)  had  a  son  Henry, 
who,  by  a  fine  dated  12  Edward  H.  [13 18],  had  half  the  manor  of  Cranage  settled  on  him  for 
life,  with  remainder  to  his  sons,  Richard,  Thomas,  and  Roger.  From  two  suits  enrolled  on 
the  Cheshire  Plea  Rolls  it  appears  that  Thomas  de  Cranach  had  a  son  and  heir,  Henry,  who 
had  a  son,  William  de  Cranach,  who  was  living  19  Edward  HI.  [1345].  Alice,  the  daughter 
and  heir  of  this  William,  married  William  de  Nedeham,  son  of  Thomas  de  Nedeham,  of 
Nedeham,  co.  Derby,  and  so  brought  the  moiety  of  the  manor  of  Cranage  into  that  family. 
Members  of  the  Cranage  family  remained  in  this  and  the  neighbouring  townships  for  many 
generations,  and  the  name  occurs  not  unfrequently  in  the  Holmes  Chapel  Registers,  &c. 

W1LLI.A.M  DE  Nedeham  was  the  father  of  Richard  de  Nedeham,  who,  on  the  7th  Jan. 
1397-8,  as  "  one  of  the  King's  Esquires  for  the  county  of  Chester,"  had  an  annuity  of  100 
shillings  from  Richard  U.''  He  died  in  1406,  and  in  his  Inquisition  post  mortcin,  taken  at 
Easter,  1407,  it  was  returned  that  he  had  died  seised  of  the  manor  of  Cranage  and  lands  in 
Rudheath,  and  that  Robert,  his  son  and  heir,  was  then  twenty  years  of  age.  This  ROBERT  DE 
Nedeham  occurs  as  a  collector  of  subsidies  in  Northwich  Hundred  in  1417  and  1420.'  He 
died  in  1448,  and  was  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel,  where  a  raised  altar  tomb  placed  to  his 
memory,  was  existing  at  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century  (see  p.  159).  He  had  four  sons, — 
Thomas  de  Nedeh.\M,  who  succeeded  him,  John,  Robert,  and  Hugh.  Of  these  the  most 
distinguished  was  John,  afterwards  Sir  John  Nedeham,  Knight,  who  was  appointed  Justice  of 
Chester  and  Flint  on  the  28th  Jul)-,  1461.  He  was  also  a  Serjeant-at-law  and  Justice  of 
Lancaster,  and  subsequently  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Common  Pleas.  He  purchased  the 
other  moiety  of  the  manor  of  Cranage,  and  also  the  manor  of  Shavington  or  Shenton,  co.  Salop. 
He  died  25th  April,  1480,''  and  was  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel,  where  a  monument  was  placed 
to  his  memory  (see  p.  160).  His  Inquisition /(JJ-/  mortem  was  taken  in  June,  1487,  and  gives  an 
account  of  the  lands,  chiefly  in  Nantwich  Hundred,  of  which  he  died  seised.'^  It  also  states 
that  long  before  his  death  he  had  granted  to  Sir  John  Fulleshurst  and  Sir  Thomas  Fytton, 
knights,  and  Ralph  Cotton  and  Robert  Nedeham,  his  manor  of  Cranage,  with  all  his  messuages, 
lands,  and  tenements  there  and  in  Leghes  and  Rudheath,  to  the  use  of  Margaret,  his  wife,  for 
her  life.  By  another  indenture  he  had  also  granted  to  her  his  messuages,  &c.,  in  Middlewich, 
Chirchehulme,  &c.,  and  had  also  granted  his  lands  and  tenements  in  Sondebache  and  Bradwell 
to  Hugh  Nedeham,  his  brother,  for  his  life.^  He  died  without  issue,  and  his  next  heir  was  his 
great-nephew,  William,  the  son  of  William,  son  of  Thomas,  the  brother  of  the  said  Sir  John, 
then  five  years  of  age. 

This  William  Needham  died  21st  June,  1500,  under  age  and  unmarried,  and  his  brother 
Robert,  then  sixteen  years  of  age,  was  his  next  heir.s  SiK  ROBERT  Neediiam,  Knt,  as  he 
afterwards  became,  married  Agnes,  daughter  of  John  Mainwaring,  of  Peover,  Esq.,  b}-  whom 
he  had  seven  sons  and  two  daughters.  He  was  Sheriff  of  Cheshire  in  1538  and  Sheriff  of 
Shropshire  in  1528  and  1540.     He  died  4th  June,  1556,  and  was  buried  at  Addcrley,  co.  Salop, 

"*   Cheshire  ReLOi^nizance  Rolls, 

•■■  Ihid.—ihid. 

■^  According  to  his  Inquisition  he  died  iSlh  Ma)-,  14S0,  but  this  was  probably  the  date  of  his  funeral. 

'  Cheshire  Inquisitions,  Public  Record  Ofifice.     This  Inquisition  is  nearly  illegible. 

'  MS.  copies  of  the  Cheshire  Inquisitions  (penes  me)  made  when  the  original  Inquisition  was  less  defective  than  it  is  now. 

B  Cheshire  Inquisitions,  Public  Record  Ofifice.  Robert  Needham's  "proof  of  age"  was  taken  at  Nantwich  7lh  March, 
2ist  Henry  VII.,  1506.  He  was  baptized  at  Adderlcy,  co.  .Salop,  by  Henry  Croxton,  chaplain,  a  priest  there,  who  "wrote 
the  same  in  a  certam  missal  there  and  by  inspection  thereof  finds  him  of  full  age." 


1 98 


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where  a  large  brass  was  placed  to  his  memory  and   that  of  his  wife,  who  died  2nd  May,  1560.'' 
They  were  also  commemorated  in  the  stained  glass  at  Holmes  Chapel  (see  p.  161). 

His  grandson,  Sir  Rmkert  Needham,  Knt.,  Sheriff  of  Shropshire  in  1606,  was  created 
\'iscount  Kilmorey,  of  Kilmorey,  co.  Clare,  in  the  peerage  of  Ireland,  on  the  iSth  April,  1625, 
and  was  buried  at  Adderlcy,  26th  November,  163 1.  His  Inquisition  post  iiwrtciit  was  taken 
8th  Oct.  1633,  and  it  was  returned  that  he  had  died  seised,  iiilcr  alia,  of  the  manors  of 
Cranage,  Hulme,  alias  Church  Hulme,  an  annual  rent  of  one  pair  of  gloves  issuing  from  the 
lands,  &c.,  of  the  late  Edward  Cotton,  Esq.,  in  Hulme  aforesaid,  and  also  of  lands  in  Lees  by 
Cranage,  late  in  the  holdings  of  Daniel  Royle  and  John  Amson.'  His  son  and  heir,  Robert 
Needham,  was  then  forty  years  of  age.  From  this  Robert  descended  Francis,  twelfth  Viscount 
Kilmorey,  who,  on  the  12th  Jan.  1822,  was  created  Earl  of  Kilmorey  in  the  Peerage  of 
Ireland,  the  grandfather  of  the  present  Earl.  The  pedigree  on  the  previous  pages  traces  the 
early  descents  of  this  family  in  a  more  complete  manner  than  has  been  attempted  before. 

Before  1672  many  parcels  of  land  in  this  township  would  appear  to  have  been  sold  by 
the  Needhams,  although  the  manor  remained  in  their  hands  ;  for  in  that  }'ear,  according  to 
Harl.  MS.  2,010,  "  the  Lo:  Kilmorey  was  lord  of  the  town  "  or  township  of  Cranage,  Cranage 
Hall  belonged  to  William  Swettenham  [of  Swettenham,  Esq.] ,  and  Humphrey  Foster,  of 
Throssellficldhead,  Egremond  Davys,  William  Swinton,  of  Northwich,  John  Amson,  of  Lees, 
Hugh  Whishaw,  of  Allostock  (who  had  lately  bought  John  Carter's  land),  Samuel  Fodon,  and 
Anthony  Hill  were  all  freeholders  ;  these  freeholds  having  been  "  lately  bought  from  the 
feoffees  of  Robert  Xedham,  late  of  Shenton,  Viscount  Kilmore)-." 

On  the  24th  June,  1760,  the  manor  of  Cranage  was  sold  by  the  then  X'iscount  Kilmorey 
to  the  trustees  of  Thomas  Ba}'ley  Hall,  of  the  Hermitage,  Esq.  (then  under  age).'  After  his 
death,  in  182S,  it  was  purchased  with  most  of  Mr.  Hall's  other  estates  by  Lawrence  Armitstead, 
Esq.,  and  has  passed  to  the  present  owner,  the  Rev.  J.  R.  Armitstead,  as  subsequently  shown 
in  the  account  of  the  Hermitage  estate. 

Wehh, mhisltineraiy  of  C/ieshh-e,\.?i\ier\c.  1621  (printed  in  King's  /'(?/(■  A' (yv?//,  1656),  speaks 
of  the  bridge  over  the  Dane  which  separates  the  townships  of  Holmes  Chapel  and  Cranage,  as 
"  that  bridge  built  by  Jo.  Nedham  Esquire,  whose  Heir  now  Sir  Robert  Nedham  of  Shavington 
in  the  County  of  Salop  knight  hath  here  a  Demean  and  fair  Lands  in  this  Lordship."  This 
John  Needham  was  the  Judge  of  that  name  alrcad}-  referred  to.  This  stone  bridge  of  two 
arches  was  replaced  in  the  earl)-  part  of  this  ccntur)-  b}-  a  wooden  one  erected  from  the  designs 
of  Mr.  Harrison,  a  well-known  Chester  architect,  and  this  in  turn  has  given  place  to  a  modern 
bridge  of  one  arch. 

Ck.-vnace  Hall  and  a  small  estate  adjacent  to  it  was,  on  the  20th  Aug.  1660, sold  by  the 
trustees  of  the  then  Viscount  Kilmorey  to  William  Swettenham,  of  Swettenham,  Esq.  It  was 
in  his  possession  in  1672  (Harl.  MS.  2,010),  and  by  an  indenture  dated  the  7th  Feb.  1678-9,  and 
made  between  the  said  William  Swettenham,  Esq.,  on  the  one  part,  and  William  Harrison,  of 
Icklcsham,  co.  Sussex,  clerk,  on  the  other  part,  the  former  sold  to  the  latter,  for  the  sum  of 
;f  1,800,  "all  that  capital   messuage   or  mansion  house  with  the  appurtenances,  commonly  called 

''  See  Sir  Thomas  ^L^in\v.-^ring's  Defence  of  Aiiiicici,  p.  79.      lie  prints  the  inscriptions  .is  follows  :  — 

Here  lieth  Buried  under  this  Stone  the  Bodies  of  Syr  Robart  Nedeham  kni^^ht,  and  Dame  Agnes  liis  Wyfl'e, 
D.niighter  of  John  .Maynwaring  of  Pever  Esquyer,  which  sayd  Robart  deceassed  the  iiij  daye  of  June  An. 
Domini  1556' And  the  said  Agnes  deceased  the  ij  daye  of  .\laye  Anno  Domini  1560. 

'  Cheshire  Inquisitions,  Public  Record  Office. 

'  This  was  enrolled  in  Chancery  on  the  14th  June,  1766. 


CRANAGE   TOWNSHIP. 


the  Hall  of  Cranage,  situate  in  Cranage,  co.  Chester,  and  now  or  late  in  the  occupation  of  the 
said  William  Swettenham  or  of  Thomas  Cotton  [late  of  Cotton]  Esq.,  and  all  those  closes 
and  parcels  of  land  with  their  appurtenances  lying  in  Cranage  aforesaid  to  the  said  capital 
messuage  belonging,""^  and  other  lands  in  this  township.'  And  also  "the  north  aisle  with  all 
the  pews,  forms  and  seats  in  the  church  or  chapel  of  Church  Hulme,  and  now  or  late  used  and 
enjoyed  with  the  hereby  before  granted  premises."  The  rents  due  from  this  estate  are 
described  as  36s.  due  to  the  King,  8s.  to  the  Lord  Kilmorc)',  and  5s.  to  Roger  Mainwaring,  of 
Kermincham,  Esq.,  and  their  heirs. 

The  Rev.  William  Harrison,  who  thus  acquired  Cranage  Hall,  was  one  of  the  sons  of 
(?  Samuel)  Harrison,  of  Tatton,  yeoman.  By  his  will,  dated  the  i8th  Nov.  1685,  and  proved 
at  London  on  the  13th  Oct.  1686,  he  devised  this  estate  to  his  brother,  Samuel  Harrison,  his 
heirs  and  assigns  for  ever.'"  This  SAMUEL  HARRISON  married,  in  1677,  Elizabeth,  ilaughter 
and  heir  of  Hugh  Strethill,  of  Rylcy  Wood,  in  the  parish  of  Rosthorne,  by  whom  he  had  issue. 
He  was  buried  at  Mobberley  on  the  29th  Sept.  1709,  aged  seventy  years.  By  an  indenture, 
dated  28th  July,  1707,  and  made  between  him  on  the  one  part,  and  John  Stafford,  of  Knutsford, 
gent,  and  William  Rode,  of  Betchton,  gent.,  on  the  other  part,  he  entailed  the  capital  messuage 
called  Cranage  Hall,  with  the  demesne  lands  there,  and  all  other  his  messuages,  &c.,  in  Cranage, 
upon  Strethill  Harrison,  his  eldest  son,  for  life,  with  remainder  to  his  second  son,  Samuel 
Harrison.  Mr.  Strethill  Harrison  died  in  London  on  the  19th  March,  1728-9,  without 
issue,  and  was  buried  at  Mobberley  on  the  ist  April,  1729.  Samuel  Harrison,  his  brother, 
who  then  succeeded  to  this  estate,  died  30th  Dec.  1736,  and  was  buried  at  Mobberle}',  3rd  Jan. 
1736-7,  aged  fifty-five  years."  His  son  and  successor,  SAMUEL  Harrison,  Esq.,  was  High 
Sheriff  of  Cheshire  in  1759."  He  was  succeeded  by  his  eldest  son,  Strethill  Harrison,  of 
Cranage  Hall,  Esq.,P  who  died  7th  April,  1801,  aged  fifty-two,  and  was  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel. 
The  Cranage  Hall  estate  was  sold  in  the  year  1814  to  Lawrence  Armitstead,  Esq.,  who  pulled 
down  the  old  Hall.  A  larger  one,  built  under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  Lewis  Wyatt,  the 
architect,  was  erected  in  1829. 

The  pedigree  on  the  next  page  traces  the  Harrison  family  more  full}'  than  could  be  done 
in  the  text. 

Certain   lands   in   this  township  were  granted  in  the  thirteenth  century  by  the  Croxton 

''  These  are  described  as  follows  : — "  The  Hall  orchard,  alias  the  old  orchard,  the  new  orchard,  the  Poole  stead,  the 
Madge  ffeild,  the  Rough  Hey,  the  Rough  Hey  Warth,  the  Hall  meadow  part,  with  the  Hopp  yard  adjoining  to  the  said  Hall 
meadow  part,  and  the  two  Intacks  or  inclosures  with  their  appurtenances  and  also  all  those  closes  in  Cranage  aforesaid 
parctls  of  a  tenement  there  called  Leadbeaters  Tenement  and  called  by  the  names  of  the  Conygree,  the  Meadow,  the 
Barne  ffeild,  the  Little  fieild  next  the  Barne  ffeild  and  the  close  at  the  Madge  ffeild  side,  and  two  closes  in  Cranage  called  the 
Nearer  Stannery  and  the  fturther  Stannery,  containing  in  all  about  40  acres  Cheshire  measure  being  the  demesne  lands  belong- 
ing to  the  said  capital  messuage." 

'  These  fields  are  named  inter  alia,  the  Howe,  the  Heath  ffeild,  the  Hempe  yard,  the  Towne  ffeild,  the  Croft,  the  two 
Hemp  yards.  Common  of  pasture  upon  Kiidheath,  late  the  inheritance  of  the  Lord  Viscount  Kilmorey  deceased,  was  granteil 
together  with  leave  to  get  "  ridgeing  clodds,"  clay  and  sand  from  the  same  for  "  paving  ridgeing  ai:d  all  manner  of  other 
necessary  uses." 

"  In  this  will  he  mentions  his  other  brothers  John,  Joseph,  and  Daniel  Harrison,  and  the  children  of  the  latter  as  duly  set 
out  in  the  pedigree  on  p.  202.  There  are  also  the  following  legacies  : — To  Katherine  I'riichard,  of  London,  spinster,  £<^  ;  to 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wade,  her  sister,  5s.;  to  Thomas  Priichard,  her  brother,  £},  ;  and  to  Sarah  Westbrook,  of  Islington,  cu. 
Middlesex,  spinster,  half-sister  to  the  said  Katherine  Pritchard  and  Elizabeth  \Vade,  the  full  sum  of  .^550  when  21  years  of 
age,  on  the  12th  March,  i6S7-[8]. 

"  His  will  as  Samuel  Harrison,  of  Tatton,  yeoman,  dated  gth  August,  1729,  was  proved  at  Chester  24th  June,  1737. 
°  In  1756  he  is  described  as  "  Samuel  Harrison  of  Kermincham  Hall  co.  Chester  Esquire,"  which  he  then  probably  held 
on  lease. 

P  By  an  indenture  dated  iSth  May,  1774,  Strethill  Harrison,  of  Cranage,  Fsq.  exchanged  with  Jervas  Wright,  of  Cranage, 
surgeon,  two  pieces  of  land,  the  one  called  "The  Devil's  Parlour."  adjoining  to  the  lands  of  the  ^aid  Jervas  Wright,  in 
Cranage,  belonging  to  the  former,  for  another  called  "  The  Brickill  Croft,"  in  Cranage,  belonging  to  the  latter. 


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CRANAGE   TOWNSHIP.  203 


family  to  the  Abbey  of  St.  Wcrburgh  at  Chester,  and  they  claimed  to  hold  a  court  leet  for 
the  manor  of  Cranage  at  their  manor-house  of  Barnshaw.  This  was  also  claimed  as  late 
as  1S17,  according  to  Dr.  Ormerod,  by  Sir  H.  M.  Mamwaring,  of  Peover,  Bart.,  the  owner 
of  the  manor  of  Barnshaw.  Other  small  estates  in  this  township  are  occasionally  mentioned 
on  the  C/ics/iire  Palatine  Rolls,  but  they  are  hardly  of  sufficient  interest  to  call  for  special 
comment. 

An  estate  in  this  Township,  known  as  Hermitage,  has  a  very  interesting  history.  The 
house  belonging  to  it,  and  known  by  that  name,  is  very  picturesquely  situated  on  the  banks  of 
the  Dane,  and  was  probably  originally  so  called  from  being  the  retreat  of  a  hermit.  According 
to  Dr.  Williamson's  Villare  Cestriensis, — "  Ermitage  "  as  it  was  then  called,i — was  granted  in 
the  twelfth  century  by  Roger  Runchamp  to  the  Hospital  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem,  and  was 
subsequently  granted  by  Robert,  the  prior  of  that  order,  to  William,  son  of  Roger,  at  a  rental 
of  1 2d.  per  annum,  and  later  still  it  was  granted  by  Richard  de  Orreby  to  Henry  de  Crawlach 
or  Cranach. 

This  Henry  de  Cranach  had  two  sons,  Henry  and  Richard,  the  former  of  whom  was  the 
ancestor  of  the  Cranages,  and  the  latter  took  the  name  of  Ermitage  from  this  estate,  granted 
him  by  his  father,  and  was  known  either  as  Richard  de  Cranage,  or  Richard  de  Ermitage,  or 
Hermitage.  According  to  the  Cheshire  Plea  Rolls,  he  was  living  in  the  44th  Henry  HI.,  1260. 
He  had  two  wives,  Margery  and  Cicely,  and  in  the  loth  Edward  H.,  1316,  Cicely,  the  widow  of 
Richard  de  Cranach,  released  all  her  right  in  all  the  lands  in  Cranach,  le  Hermitage,  and 
Twemlowe  to  Thomas  de  Hermitage,  her  son,  which  lands  he  held  by  the  grant  of  the  said 
Richard  and  Cicely."'  This  Thomas  de  Ermitage  or  Hermitage  had  an  only  daughter  and 
heir,  Cicely,  who  married  William,  son  of  Richard  de  Haslington,  and  in  the  8th  Edward  HI., 
1334,  he  granted  all  his  lands.  Sic,  in  Cranach,  Le  Ermitage,  and  Twemlowe  to  them  and  their 
heirs  for  ever.^  In  the  same  year  he  granted  them  the  fifth  part  of  the  mill  there  known  as  "  le 
Ermits  mylne."'* 

Their  son  and  heir,  Thomas  de  Haslington,  "lord  of  the  Ermitage,"  was  living  in  1356, 
1367,  and  1379.  He  made  his  will  on  the  Tuesday  next  after  the  feast  of  All  Saints  [Nov.  1], 
13th  Richard  II.,  1389,  and  left  money  to  provide  three  priests  to  pray  for  his  soul  and  the 
souls  of  Alice  and  Sybil,  his  wives.'  He  also  left  "  pannas  meas  corporales  "  to  be  distributed 
for  the  welfare  of  his  soul,  and  bequeathed  the  residue  of  his  goods  to  Thomas,  his  son,  and 
gave  a  legacy  to  his  sister,  Ellen  Pinke."  This  Thomas  de  Haslington,  the  son,  was  apparently 
dead  in  1418,  when  his  widow,  Tibota,  is  mentioned.  They  had  an  onl}-  daughter  and  heir, 
Cicely,  who  married  Hugh  Winnington,  and  so  brought  this  estate  into  that  family. 

Hugh  Winnington  was  the  son  and  heir  of  John  Winnington,  of  Northwich,  a  famil}- 
descended,  as  shown  in  the  pedigree  on  page  208,  from  the  Winningtons,  of  Winnington, 
CO.  Chester.     He  married  Cicely  Haslington  between  the  years  1430  and   1434,  for  by  a  deed 

1  Sometimes  a'so  called  in  old  deeds  "  Ermettes  "  or  "  Atmettes." 

■■  Deeds  in  the  possession   of  Hugh  Winnington,  of  the   Hermitage,  in  1615  (John  Booth's  MSS.  Liber  E).     It   seems 
probable  that  this  Thomas  de  Hermitage  had  a  brother  William,  who  is  mentioned  in  these  deeds  as  living  in  1300. 
»  Ibid.— ibid. 

'  Alice,  his  wife,  was  living  in  1367,  and  in  an  old  pedigree  Sjbil  is  called  the  daughter  of  Thomas  de  Toft. 
"  Hermitage  deeds  (John  Booth's  MSS.  Liber  E).  ' 

2    D    2 


204  SANDBACH. 


dated  8  Henry  VI.  [1430],  Cicely,  daughter  of  Thomas  de  Haslington,  enfeoffed  James  de  Gatclife 
and  William  de  Tofte,  chaplains,  of  all  her  lands  in  Cranach  and  Twcmlowe  ;  and  by  another 
deed  dated  13  Henry  VI.  [1434],  Thomas  de  Tofte,  brother  and  heir  of  William  de  Tofte,  chap- 
lain, granted  to  Hugh  de  Wyn\'ngton,  son  and  heir  of  John  de  Wj-nyngton  of  Northwich,  and 
Cicely,  his  wife,  all  the  messuages,  lands,  and  tenements,  &c.,  in  the  \ills  of  Cranach  and 
Twemlowe,  which  the  said  William  and  James  Gatclifte,  chaplains,  had  of  the  feoffment  of  the 
said  Cicel}-,  &c.,  to  hold  to  the  said  Hugh  and  Cicely  and  the  heirs  of  the  said  Cicely  for  ever, 
dated  at  the  vill  of  Armetes.''  Hugh  Winnington  made  his  will  20  July,  1473,  and  appointed 
Cicely  his  wife,  and  Sir  William  de  Pemberton  [?  chaplain]  his  executors,  and  Sir  John 
Xedham,  Knt.,  supervisor."  His  widow  was  living  in  1484,  in  which  year  she  leased  "to 
Honk)-n  Ma\-nwaring,  the  younger.  Esquire,  and  to  John  Maynwaring,  parson  of  Warmincham, 
his  brother  "  a  messuage  and  certain  lands,  &c.,  in  Cranach  called  "  th'armytage "  and  other 
messuages  and   lands  in  Twemlowe  and   Plumle\',  for  a  term  of  years. ^ 

A  little  difficulty  here  occurs  in  this  pedigree  ;  for,  according  to  some  authorities,  the  son 
and  heir  of  Hugh  was  Piers  Winnington,  who  had  a  son  and  heir,  Lawrence  ;  whilst,  according 
to  others,  this  Lawrence  Winnington  was  himself  son  and  heir  of  Hugh.  Lawren'CE 
Winnington,  of  the  Hermitage,  was  living  in  1496,  but  was  probably  dead  before  1504,  in 
which  year  his  son  and  heir,  described  as  "John  Winyngton  of  le  Armytage,"  was  appointed 
one  of  the  collectors  of  a  subsidy  in  Northwich  Hundred. 5'  This  JOIIN  WiNNlNC.TON  married 
before  1496,  Margaret,  daughter  of  Randle  Main  waring,  of  Kermincham,  Esq.,  and  was  living  in 
i5ioand  1513,  but  the  exact  date  of  his  death  has  not  occurred.  His  eldest  son  and  heir, 
Hugh,  died  without  issue,  and  the  second  son,  John,  succeeded.  This  JOHN  WiNXiNGTON,  of 
the  Hermitage,  gentleman,  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Lawrence  ]\Ierbur\',  of  ]\Ierbur\',  co. 
Chester,  Esq.,  by  whom  he  had  five  sons  and  five  daughters.  He  died  15th  September,  34 
Henry  VIII.,  1542,  and  the  following  Inquisition /w/  uwrtc»i  was  taken  concerning  his  lands  in 
Plumlcy,  held  under  the  fee  of  Halton  : — ' 

IiKiuisition  taken  at  Halton  before  the  said  seneschals  [Sir  Peter  Dutton  Knt  and  John  Savage  Esq] 
the  Saturday  next  after  the  feast  of  S'  Martin  [11  Dec]  34  Henry  S"'  [1542]  after  the  death  of  John 
\\ynington,  of  Ermitage,  gent,  by  the  oath  of  James  Marbury,  of  Mere,  Esq.,  Randle  Cleyton  [of  Thel- 
wall?]  gent,  Richard  Merbury,  gent,  John  Cleyton,  gent,  Lawrence  Hatton,  gent,  Thomas  Dutton,  gent, 
Peter  Colstinsocke,  gent,  Richard  Allen,  John  Tomlynson,  Roger  Porter,  Thomas  Harper,  Thomas 
Whitley,  William  Higgenson,  James  Watt,  Randle  Wirrall  of  Legh,  Geoffrey  Stockton,  John  Stockton, 
John  Dayntith  of  Hull,  Thomas  Starkey,  Thomas  Anderton,  George  Sutton,  and  Henry  Heath  of  Weston, 
Jurors,  who  say  on  their  oath  that  the  said  John  Wynington  died  seised  of  lands  messuages  &c  in  Plumley 
within  the  fee  of  Halton  &c  and  that  the  said  John  died  on  the  15"'  September  last  past  [1542]  and  that 
Lawrence  Wynington,  gent,  is  his  son  and  heir  and  is  22  years  of  age  and  more. 

This  L.WVRENCK  \VinniN(;ton,  of  the  Hermitage,  gentleman,  who  was  22  years  of  age  in 
1534,  married  Ellen,  eldest  daughter  of  William  Brereton,  of  Brcrcton,  Esq.,  and  widow  of  John 
Carrington,  of  Carrington  and  ]\Iobberley,  gentleman,  but  died  without  issue  in  1573.      His  will, 

'   Winnlnglon  deeds  (John  Booth's  MSS.  Liber  E). 

"   //'/./. — //'/</.     Unfortunately  no  particulars  of  this  will,  beyond  those  given  in  the  text,  have  been  preserved  :  hence  the 
ambiguity  in  the  descent  subsequently  referred  to. 
'   Winnington  deeds. 
>    Cheshire  Recogiiizamc  Rolls. 
■  Halton  Rolls,  &c.,  Harl.  M.S.  2,115,  f-  127. 


CRANAGE  TOWNSHIP.  205 


a  long  document  with  an  elaborate  inventory  of  his  goods  and  chattels  annexed,  is  still  pre- 
served at  Chester,  and  the  following  is  a  brief  abstract  of  its  contents  : —  " 

Will  of  Lawrence    Whuiinglon,  of  the  Hermitage,  gent.,  1572. 

In  the  name  of  god  the  father,  the  sonne  and  the  holy  ghost  three  persons  and  one  god  the  xx"'  day 
of  June  1572,  I  Lawrence  Wynington  of  the  harmitage  in  the  countie  of  Chester,  gent.  My  body  to  the 
earth  to  be  buried  in  such  order  as  apperteyneth  to  a  member  of  Christs  church.  To  M"'  Goodman,  AP 
Lane  or  such  other  learned  man  as  shall  take  the  peanes  to  make  a  Sermon  at  the  tyme  of  [my]  buryall 
xxvj=  viij''.  To  the  reperacon  of  Hullmes  churche  xxvj'  viij''.  The  testator  mentions  these  relations  : 
"  Margaret  Booth  my  sisters  daughter,"  •'  the  rest  of  rny  sister  Booths  daughters,"  "  my  brother  in  law  John- 
Booth,"  "  my  cousin  John  Cotton  of  Cotton,"  and  left  the  following  bequests.  "  To  Robert  Nedham  of 
Shevington  co  Salop  esquyer  my  yonge  greate  blacke  trottinge  Stagge'"  as  yet  unbroken  ";  "to  Thomas 
Venables  esquyer,  sonne  and  heyre  apparent  of  S''  Thomas  Venables  Knight  a  blacke  amblinge  geldinge  "  ; 
"  to  Henry  Maynwaringe  of  Carincham  esquyer  my  blacke  trottinge  geldinge."  These  persons  are  also 
mentioned:  "  my  cousin  Richard  Steventon  esquyer,"  "  my  cousin  Richard  Davenport  of  Wheltrough," 
"my  cousin  Thomas  Baskervile  of  Blackeden,"  to  whom  he  left  "my  longe  gowne  of  blacke  clothe 
furred  and  gardid  w*'' velvet,"  and  "John  Davenport  of  Merton,  gentleman,"  who  had  40s.  "William 
Carington  and  Andrew  Carington,"  my  wifes  sons,"  are  also  named. 

The  testator  also  mentions  "  Thomas  Wynnyngton  gent,  my  younger  brother,"  "  Margery  Wynnyngton 
my  sister,"  "  Elizabeth  Wynnyngton  my  sister,"  and  "  Ellynor  Wynnyngton  my  sister."  The  residue  of 
my  goods  to  Ellen  Wynnyngton  my  wife  and  the  said  Thomas  Wynnyngton  my  brother  between  them." 

This  will  was  proved  at  Chester  19  December  1573. 

His  widow,  Ellen,  survived  him  many  years,  being  buried  at  Mobberley  6  April,  1612.  In 
her  will  still  preserved  at  Chester,  and  dated  14  March,  1609-10,  she  calls  herself  "  the  late  wife 
of  Lawrence  Wynyngton  late  of  the  Hermitage  co.  Chester  Esquier  deceased."  The  chief 
bequests  are  to  her  children  by  her  first  husband,  John  Carington,  one  of  whom,  Andrew  Caring- 
ton,  was  then  living  at  Mobberley  House. 

According  to  a  settlement  made  iith  June,  15th  Elizabeth  [1573],  the  estates  passed  to 
Thomas,  the  brother  of  Lawrence,  and  the  third  son  of  John  Winnington.''  This  Thoma.s 
WiNNINGTON,  of  the  Hermitage,  gentleman,  married  Katherine,  daughter  of  John  Carington, 
of  Mobberley,  the  first  husband  of  his  brother's  wife.  He  died  on  the  3rd  March,  1 590-1,  without 
issue,  and  left  the  Hermitage  and  other  estates  to  his  distant  relation,  Hugh  Winnington,  the 
son  of  Robert  Winnington,  of  Northwich,  descended  from  the  family  of  Winnington,  of  the 
Birches.  From  his  Inquisition /ijj'/  mortem,  taken  June  30th,  1592,  it  appears  that  he  had  died 
seised  of  15  messuages,  5  saltpits,  200  acres  of  land,  40  acres  of  meadow,  120  acres  of  pasture, 
20  acres  of  wood,  60  acres  of  underwood,  and  40  acres  of  turbary,  and  a  moiety  of  3  saltpits  ; 
these  lands,  &c.,  being  situate  in  Cranage,  the  Hermitage,  Twemlowe,  Plumley,  Hulme,  North- 

*  I  have  printed  this  interesting  will  in  full  in  "  Lancashire  and  Cheshire  Wills  and  Inventories  at  Chester,"  edited  by  me 
for  the  Chetham  Society,  vol.  iii.,  New  .Serie.s,  1884,  pp.  51-56. 

''  A  "stag"  is  an  old  word  used  in  the  North  of  England  for  a  young  horse.  It  is  not,  however,  to  be  found  in  any 
Lancashire  or  Cheshire  list  of  dialect  words. 

"  In  1592  Andrew  Carrington,  of  the  Hermitage,  gent,  (where  he  was  probably  living  with  his  widowed  mother),  buys 
land  at  Betchton  from  Anne,  Katherine,  and  Elizabeth  Bambell,  daughters  and  heirs  of  Francis  Bambell  (or  Bamvyll),  of 
Chester,   mercer. 

^  This  Thomas  had  an  elder  brother  John,  who,  however,  is  not  mentioned  in  the  will  of  his  brother  Lawrence.  This, 
coupled  w  ith  the  fact  that  the  estates  were  settled  on  Thomas,  makes  it  probable  that  this  John  was  not  of  sound  mind,  or  was 
in  some  way  debarred  fro-ii  succeeding.     lie  died  during  the  lifetime  of  his  brother  Thomas. 


2o6  SANDBACH. 


wich,  Bexton,  Tablcy,  and  Waverton.     As  he  died  without   issue,  his   two  sisters  (then    hving) 
and  the  children  of  his  other  sister  (then  deceased)  are  returned  as  his  heirs. ■= 

The  will  of  Thomas  Winnington  is  not  now  to  be  found  at  the  Probate  Court,  Chester,  but 
it  has  been  fortunatch'  preserved  in  a  volume  of  ecclesiastical  records  in  the  Bishop's  Registrj- 
at  Chester,  into  which  it  was  copied  at  the  time  of  probate/  The  following  is  an  abstract  of 
its  contents  ; — 

Will  of  Thomas  U'iniii)ii;fon,  of  the  Hermitage,  gent.,  1591. 

"  In  the  name  of  God  Amen.  25  February,  33  Elizabeth  [1590-1]  I  Thomas  Wynnington  of  the 
Hermitage  within  the  county  of  Chester,  gent,  being  resolved  after  long  deliberation  how  to  dispose  of 
such  lands,  goods  &  chattells  as  the  Almighty  hath  bestowed  upon  me  in  this  world.  My  body  I  will 
shalbe  buryed  in  the  Chappcll  of  Hulme,  where  my  brother  Lawrence  and  divers  other  of  my  Auncestors 
lye.  And  for  as  much  as  I  have  by  my  Indenture  of  Covenants  dated  20  Feb.  33  Elizabeth  [1590-1] 
made  between  me  the  said  Thomas  upon  the  one  part  and  Hugh  Winnington  of  the  Inner  Temple, 
London,  gent,  upon  the  other  part,  set  down  and  disposed  of  all  my  messuages,  lands,  salthouses  &c.  in 
Cranage,  Twemlowe,  Northwich,  Winnington,  Plumleigh,  Warton  Holme  and  Bexton  or  elsewhere  in  the 
county  of  Chester  unto  such  use  and  uses  as  within  the  same  indenture  more  at  large  appears." 

The  testator  then  leaves  legacies  to  his  sister,  Elizabeth  Winnington ;  his  mother-in-law,  Ellen 
Winnington,  widow  ; "  his  beloved  wife,  Katherine  Winnington  ;  to  Lawrence  Baskervile,  son  of  Thomas 
Baskervile,  of  Blackden,  gent.,  deceased  ;  to  his  servant,  William  Kinsye ;  to  his  cousin,  Thomas 
Baskervile,  of  Blackden,  an  annuity  during  the  life  of  his  grandfather  ;  "  to  my  old  maister  M''  Needham 
20  pounds,  if  he  be  dead  then  his  son  and  heir  M'  Robert  Needham  shall  have  10  pounds."  Other 
legacies  to  his  cousins,  Thomasine  Booth,  Elizabeth  Ryle,  and  Frances  Bretchgirdle  ;  to  Mr.  Peter 
Warburton,  "the  counsaylor  "  ;  his  cousin,  Henry  Mainwaring,  and  his  son  and  heir  apparent,  Henry, 
and  his  daughter  ;  his  cousin,  William  Merbury,  Esq.,  and  Thomas  Merbury,  his  brother,  and  Thomas, 
son  and  heir  apparent  of  the  said  William  ;  to  Lawrence  Merbury,  the  elder ;  to  his  cousin,  Edward 
Cotton,  his  wife  and  his  son  Edward  ;  to  his  cousin,  Ralph  Leftwich,  his  wife  and  his  son  Robert. 
"  To  every  one  of  my  Master  AP  Needhams  daughters  married  and  unmarried  xx^  each  to  make  them 
rings."  "To  the  howsehold  wayters  in  M'  Needhams  howse  xx==  to  make  merry  with  for  my  sake."  To 
his  cousin,  Margaret  Baskervile,  a  legacy,  and  others  to  his  servants  to  be  paid  "  at  my  now  dwelling 
house  in  Blackden."  Legacies  to  the  poor  of  Hulmes  Chapel,  Goostree,  Blackden,  and  Twemlow.  "  To 
the  churchwardens  of  Hulmes  Chappell  20  pounds  towards  the  augmentation  of  the  Minister  or  Curates 
wages  of  Hulmes  Chappell  aforesaid."  To  his  wife,  bedding,  household  stuff,  &c.,  and  "  I  will  that  in 
regard  thereof  my  said  wife  shall  bear  the  charge  of  such  meat  and  drink  as  shalbe  bestowed  upon  my 
funeral."  "To  my  master  M''  Needham  my  best  gelding  and  one  tablet  of  gold."  "  To  my  cosin  Hugh 
\\'innington  my  signet  of  gold  and  all  such  rings  and  other  jewels  as  are  or  ought  to  be  due  to  nie  and  to 
bestow  them  upon  M"'  Needham  for  her  daughters  and  my  wife  at  the  discretion  of  the  said  Hugh." 
Other  legacies  to  "  my  sister  Margaret  "  "  my  cosin  [or  rather  niece]  Margaret  Coler  " ;  to  "  M"'  Thomas 
Needham  one  of  my  Maisters  younger  sons,"  and  to  Humphrey  Winnington. 

"  Also  I  give  to  my  said  cosin  IVP  Hugh  Winnington  all  my  armour  except  two  halberds  now  at 
Leftwich,  the  one  whereof  I  give  to  my  cozen   Edward  Cotton  and   the  other  to  my  cozen   Leftwich." 

•  n'  ''"';':^'-\"'^'''=  .Marg.iiet  Warton  and  Elizabeth  Wyninglon,  liis  sisters,  Frances  iSatcligirJle  (Bracegirdle),  Margaret 
(.1)1  cr,  hlizabcth  Ryle,  Thoma-in  Canngton,  Catherine  Waliis,  and  Margery  Chambers,  tiie  daughters  and  heiresses  of 
(_  ithcnne  Booth,  another  sister,  then  deceased. 

'  Enrcjllmenl  Books  at  the  Bishop's  Registry,  Chester,  vol.  ii.,  p.  167. 

>■  This  was  the  widow  of  his   brother  Lawrence,  whose  daughter,   Katherine   Carington,   by  her  first   liusband  he  had 


CRANAGE  TOWNSHIP.  207 


Legacies  are  also   left  to  "  my  brother  Hugh  Wareton  "  (elsewhere  called  his  brother-in-law),  and  to  his 
wife,  and  to  "  my  cosen  Humphry  Winnington  "  and  "  my  cosen  Richard  Davenport  of  Wheltrough." 

There  is  a  list  of  the  debts  owed  by  the  testator,  and  also  a  list  of  "  such  debts  as  are  owing  me  for 
my  brother  Lawrence,  my  brother  John  and  myself" '' 

Katherine  Winnington,  the  widow  of  Thomas,  married  at  Brereton,  21st  Aug.  1594,  for  her 
second  husband  John  Mansfield,  of  Sheriff  Hutton,  co.  York,  and  was  living  in  1610. 

With  Hugh  Winnington,  of  the  Hermitage,  gent.,  who  succeeded  to  this  estate  in  1591, 
begins  a  new  line  of  the  family  of  that  name.  He  was  a  son  of  Robert  Winnington,  of  North- 
wich,a  descendant  of  the  family  of  Winnington,  of  the  Birches,  co.  Chester.  He  was  a  barrister, 
and  was  educated  at  the  Inner  Temple,  London.  He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Eleanor, 
daughter  of  William  Marbury,  of  Marbury,  co.  Chester,  Esq.,  by  whom  he  had  a  son  and  heir, 
Thomas,  who  died  young ;  and,  secondly,  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  James  Rudyard,  of 
Winchfield,  co.  Southampton,  by  whom  he  had  several  sons  and  daughters.  He  died  on  the 
1 2th  Oct.,  and  was  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel,  13th  Oct.  1623.  His  will,  which  is  still  preserved 
at  the  Probate  Court,  Chester,  is  a  document  of  much  interest. 

Will  of  Hugh  Winnington,  of  the  Hermitage,  gent.,  1623. 

"  In  the  name  of  the  blessed  Trinitie  by  whose  goodness  I  Hughe  Winington  of  the  Ermitage  in  the 
county  of  Chester  have  bene  since  my  birthe  gratiously  preserved,  the  same  great  and  glorious  name  being 
first  called  uppon  for  direction,  doe  this  present  seventeenthe  day  of  September  an.  Dom  1623  make  this 
my  last  will  and  testament.  Whereas  my  debts  are  greater  than  ever  I  thought  and  the  portions 
appointed  for  the  preferment  and  maintenance  of  my  younger  children  rise  to  great  sums  to  be  paid  and 
discharged  by  my  son  Lawrence  therefore  I  give  him  my  lease  of  the  grounds  called  the  Kingsfeilds,  which 
I  hold  of  the  Princes  highness  and  which  have  time  out  of  mind  been  occupied  by  the  owners  of  the 
house  of  Ermitage.  Also  I  give  to  him  my  house  in  Castell  Northwiche  now  in  the  holding  of  M''  Walker, 
Minister  of  Witton.  Also  I  give  and  bequeath  to  him  all  my  books  papers  and  presidents  [precedents]  to 
be  kept  and  laid  up  as  heirlooms  for  the  use  of  him  and  his  issue  male,  except  such  of  the  same  books 
papers  and  presidents  as  I  shall  hereafter  give  and  bequeath  otherwise.  Also  I  give  and  bequeath  to  my 
Clarke  John  Ward  of  Nether  Alderley  a  book  of  English  presidents  [precedents],  wherein  also  are 
contained  the  reports  of  sundry  cases  argued  at  the  Kings  Benche  and  the  Common  Pleas  and  all  other 
my  English  presidents  w"^''  are  bound  together  in  my  studie.  To  my  dear  and  loving  wife  Elizabeth 
Winington  the  half  of  all  my  goods  and  chattels  towards  the  better  maintenance  and  bringing  up  of  my 
younger  children.     I  make  my  said  wife  and  my  son  Lawrence  my  Executors." 

Proved  May  27,  1625. 

The  inventory  of  the  goods,  &c.,  of  Hugh  Winington,  Esq.,  taken  iSth  Oct.  1623,  is  a  very  long  and 
full  one.  It  includes  cattle,  horses,  corn,  &c.,  "all  his  bookes  in  the  Studie  20''.  o.  o.  ;  2  seales  4*; 
3  rings  2".  o.   o."     The  total  is  ;^38i.  los.  gd.,  and,  including  leases,  £.\(>S-  19s.  id. 

In  King's  I'ale  Royal/,  published  in  1656,  and  containing  the  account  of  Cheshire  as  seen 
in  162 1  by  Mr.  Webb,  is  the  following  notice  of  the  Hermitage  and  of  Hugh  Winnington, 
Esquire  : — 

"  That  ancient    seat   (the   name  speaks  that)   called  the  Hermitage,  howsoever  of  old 

getting   the  name   from   the  use,  that   then    it  was   put   unto,  of  some  holy  mans  solitary 

retire,  yet  now  serves  to  better  purpose,  having  a  goodly  demean  lying  to  it,  and  being 

'■  In  the  will  he  speaks  of  the  debts  <lue  to  him  as  executor  to  his  brother  Laurence,  and  as  administrator  to  his  brother 
John. 


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lately  the  inheritance  of  Hiigli  Winnington  Esquire  ;  And  it  is  now  frequently  visited,  not 
as  an  Hermitage  for  superstitious  devotion,  but  as  an  oracle  for  counsell  and  advice,  how, 
poor  Clients  may  with  most  safety  and  ease  compose  suits  and  troubles  :  wherein  that 
Gentleman  the  owner  as  well  for  his  great  experience  in  the  practiquc  [practical] 
proceedings  of  Law  causes,  as  for  his  singular  humanity  and  gcntlenesse,  was  very 
famous  :  his  son  and  heir  is  Laurence  Wiiinhigtcni." 

Lawrknce  \Vii\NiN(rrON,  of  the  Hermitage,  Esquire,  married  Judith,  daughter  and  co- 
heir of  Daniel  Elliot,  of  Watling  Street,  London,  merchant  tailor,  by  whom  he  is  believed  to 
have  had  issue.  She  was  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel,  19th  Oct.  1642,  as  "  Judeth  Winnington 
wiffe  of  r\Laister  Lawrence  Winnington."  By  an  indenture  dated  2nd  April,  1631,  Lawrence 
Winnington,  of  the  Hermitage,  and  Elizabctli,  his  mother,  sell  to  Hugh  Ameson,  of  Cranage, 
and  Thomas  Walley,  of  Knightsgrange,  co.  Chester,  the  Hall  of  the  Hermitage  and  lands  in 
Hermitage,  Cranage,  Churchhulme,  Twemlow,  Drakelowe,  Rudheath,  Northwj-ch,  Castle 
Northwych,  Wynington,  Warton,  Bostok,  Bexton,  and  Plumley.'  As  it  does  not  appear, 
however,  that  Lawrence  Winnington  left  the  Hermitage  at  this  time,  it  is  not  unlikely  that 
Ameson  and  Walley  were  only  feoffees,  or  possibly  these  lands  may  have  been  mortgaged  to 
them. 

During  the  Civil  War,  Lawrence  Winnington  does  not  seem  to  have  taken  any  active 
part  in  it,  but  was  in  Chester  during  the  siege,  when  it  was  held  as  a  garrison  for  the  King,  and 
had  in  consequence  to  compound  for  his  estates.  On  the  15th  March,  1647-8,  it  was  returned 
that  "  Lawrence  Winnington,  of  the  Armitage,  co.  Chester,  Esq.,  had  to  settle  £j^o  per 
annum  on  the  minister  of  Goostrey,  in  consideration  of  which  his  whole  fine  of  ;^4ii  was 
remitted. "J 

Subsequently  to  this  the  Hermitage  estate  was  sold  to  Mr.  John  Leadbeater,  of  Cranage, 
and  all  connection  of  the  Winningtons  with  that  place  then  terminated.  So  far  I  have  not 
been  able  to  ascertain  when  or  where  Lawrence  Winnington  died  or  any  further  particulars 
concerning  him  or  his  descendants. 

The  pedigrees  on  pages  208-9  ^^''^  illustrate  the  descent  of  the  two  families  of  the 
Winningtons,  of  the  Hermitage,  better  than  could  be  done  in  the  text. 

John  Lk,\.I)1!1-:ater,  who  thus  acquired  the  Hermitage,  probabl_\-  b_\-  purchase,  about  the 
}'ear  1650,  or  a  little  later,  was  a  ms'mber  of  a  family  long  settled  in  this  Chapelry.'^  He  occurs 
in  1649  in  deeds  relating  to  Holmes  Chapel,  and  is  then  called  "  Captaine  Leadbeater,"  so  that 
it  is  probable  that  he  had  taken  some  active  part  on  the  side  of  the  Parliament.  No  doubt  in 
consequence  of  this  he  was  obliged  to  sign  the  following  bond  in  1661,  whereby  he  bound 
himself  in  the  sum  of  £200  not  to  "  acte,  plott,  or  contrive  an)-thing  prcjudiciall"  to  the  King 
or  to  the  general  peace  of  the  country-  : — ' 

'    Cheshire  Recoginzaiiee  Kol/s. 

>  Impropriauons  purchased,  &c.  London.  410.  164S.  See  also  Domestic  Interresjnum  (Public  Record  Office),  345. 
Returns  of  Compositions.  The  papers  relating  to  his  composition  .ire  amongst  the  Royalist  Composition  Papers  in  the 
I'liblic  Record  Office,  2nd  series,  vol.  xxxii.,  f.  50J,  cic.     In  some  of  these  he  is  desciibed  as  of  "Grays  Inn  gentlemar,." 

''  As  shown  in  the  pedigree  on  p.  213,  he  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Leadbeater,  who  died  in  1645,  and  the  grandson  of  William 
Leadbeater,  who  was  living  in  1616.  By  deed,  dated  20  Aug.  1660,  he  purchased  from  the  trustees  of  the  then  \'iscount  Kilniorey, 
the  water-mill  in  Cranage  calkd  Cianage  Mill,  and  cei'tain  lands  there  and  in  Church  Hulme.  These  seem  to  have  passed  to 
his  second  son,  John  Leadbeater,  who  had  also  the  Forge  in  Cranage  (see  p.  225).  In  the  will  of  Thomas  Leadbeater  his  father, 
made  in  1645,  there  is  this  curious  clause  ;  "  My  desire  is,  in  respect  [that]  my  estate  lyes  in  other  mens  handes  [that]  in) 
children  shall  hriug  ine  home  [i.e.  bury  him]  with  bread  and  chease  and  drinke. " 

'  From  a  MS.  volume  relating  to  Cheshire  affairs  (Kilmorey  MSS.). 


CRANAGE  TOWNSHIP. 


Bond  from  John  Leadbeater  of  the  Hermitage  gent  and  William  Yates  of  Middlewich  mercer  in  the 
sum  of  ^200  to  the  King.     Dated  5"'  February  13  Charles  11.  [1660-61]. 

"  The  Condicon  of  this  Obligacon  is  such  that  if  the  above  bounden  John  Leadbeater  shall  from 
henceforth  neither  acta  plott  nor  contrive  any  thinge  prejudicial!  to  the  Kinges  Ma'>',  or  to  the  Peace  of 
this  Kingdome  but  shall  from  tyme  to  tyme  discover  to  the  Kinges  Ma'y,  or  others  in  authority  vnderhim, 
all  Plotts  and  Conspiracyes  against  his  said  Mat'",  which  shall  come  to  his  knowledge,  And  shall  appeare 
before  the  Lord  LieuT;ent  or  Deputy  Lieulents  of  this  County,  when  hee  shall  bee  therevnto  required  Then 
this  Obligacon  to  bee  void  &  of  none  effect  Or  els  to  bee  &  remayne  in  full  power  &  force  in  the  Lawe 

(Signed)  John  LEAnp.EATER 

Sealed  signed  &  delivered  \\'m.  Yates." 

in  the  presence  of 

Tho  :  Cholmondeley.  "  The  Originall  of  this  Bond 

P.  Leycester.  remaynes  vpon  the  fifile  apud  me 

Tho  :  Jackson."  (Signed)  P.   Leycester." 

He  was  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel  on  the  i  ith  December,  1667,  as  "  John  Leadbeater  of  the 
Armitage."     His  will  is  dated  nth  November,  1667,  and  contains  some  items  of  interest  : — 

In  the  name  of  God  Amen,  the  11  Nov.  1667  I  John  Leadbe.ater,  of  Hermitage,  co.  Chester, 
gent.  "  Whereas  I  have  been  at  great  expense  of  my  son  Thomas  Leadbeater's  education  and  since  by 
his  marriage  with  Patience  his  wife,  and  have  settled  on  them  my  capital  messuage  called  the  hall  of 
Hermitage  by  which  I  have  impaired  my  younger  children's  portions,"  &c.  If  the  said  Thomas  Lead- 
beater pay  to  his  sister  Margaret  the  yearly  sum  of  _^6.  13s.  4d.,  he  shall  have  ''  my  tithes  of  corn  and 
grain  payable  out  of  the  fields  lands  &c.  belonging  to  the  hall  of  Eardshawe  in  the  parish  of  Sandbach  '" 
and  all  the  tithes  within  the  township  of  Cranage"  &c.  "  I  give  the  tithes  of  corn,"  &c.  from  certain  fields  in 
Church  Hulme  "to  the  use  of  such  persons  as  shall  successively  be  Minister  at  Church  Hulme  for  ever  in 
full  satisfaction  of  ^5,  which  I  have  belonging  to  the  Minister  of  Church-hulme."  "  [The  names  of  tht- 
testator's  children  mentioned  in  this  will,  will  be  found  in  the  pedigree  on  page  213.] 

His  eldest  son  and  heir  Thomas  Leadbe.ater,  who  succeeded  to  the  Hermitage  in  1667, 
was  an  active  Nonconformist  minister.  He  was  born  at  Holmes  Chapel  in  1628,  and  was  sent 
to  Christ's  College,  Cambridge,  in  1647,  where  he  was  under  the  tuition  of  Mr.  Samuel  Langley, 
afterwards  rector  of  Swettenham,  co.  Chester.  He  took  his  B  A.  degree  at  Cambridge  in  1651, 
and  that  of  M.A.  in  1656.°  About  16551'  he  was  appointed  to  the  living  of  Hinckley,  co. 
Leicester,  where  he  remained  for  some  years,  but  was  ejected  in  1662.  His  name  appears  in 
the  list  of  those  who  subscribed  to  "  the  humble  representation  of  divers  well  affected  ministers 
of  the  Gospel "  in  Leicestershire,i  which  was  presented  to  Parliament  on  the  occasion  of  Sir 
George  Booth's  insurrection,  known  as  the  "Cheshire  rising"  in  1659.  On  his  return  to 
Cheshire  he  is  said    by   Calamy  to   have  lived    for    some  years   in   Nantwich.''     In    1663,    in 

"  Of  Eardbhaw,  no\''  called  Yarnshaw,  a  short  account  will  be  found  on  pp.  224-5. 

"  One  of  the  witnesses  to  this  will  was  Nathaniel  Bann,  a  well-known  physician  in  Manchester,  who  had  formerly  been  a 
Nonconformist  minister.     The  testator  mentions  his  "  niece  Mary  Bann,"  and  leaves  her  ;{^ioo. 

"  .See  Kennett's  Cltroniclc,  p.  909. 

p  He  is  said  by  Calamy  to  h.ave  been  "  in  his  younger  days  Chaplain  to  the  pious  Lady  Wimbledon." 

'I  Calamy's  Koncmformist  Memorial,  vol.  ii.  p.  411. 

■■  Calamy  writes,  "  After  his  ejectment  he  retired  into  his  own  country,  viz.  Namp'.wich,  where  he  had  a  very  good  corre- 
spondence [meaning  friendly  intocourse,  &c.]  with  the  public  minister,  which  some  oihers,  who  came  there  for  shelter,  were 
denied." 

2    E    2 


SANDBACH. 


consequence    of    an   alleged    attempted  rising  on   the   part  of  the    disaffected   in    Lancashire, 
Cheshire,  &c.,  he  was  for  a  time  imprisoned,  together  with  several  other  suspected  persons. 

In  1672  the  Nonconformists  of  this  part  of  Cheshire  presented  the  following  petition  to  the 
King,  Charles  II.,  begging  that  the  Hermitage  might  be  licensed  as  a  meeting  place  for  them 
according  to  the  Declaration  of  Indulgence  then  recently  passed.' 

"  To  the  Kings  Most  E.xcellent  Majesty 

"  The  humble  petition  of  some  of  your  Majestys  most  loyal  subjects  within  the  county  of  Chester,  in 
behalf  of  themselves  and  others.  Humbly  acknowledging  with  a  most  grateful  sense  of  heart  your 
Majestys  singular  grace  and  indulgence  towards  us  in  your  gracious  declaration  of  the  15"'  March  167 1-2, 
wherein  your  Majesty  declareth  that  you  shall  from  time  to  time  allow  a  sufficient  number  of  places  as  they 
shall  be  desired  in  all  parts  of  this  your  Kingdom  for  the  use  of  such  as  do  not  conform  to  the  Church  ot 
England  to  meet  and  assemble  in  in  order  to  public  worship  and  devotion,  which  favour  if  we  should  in  any 
wise  abuse  to  disloyal  reflexions  on  your  Majestys  person  and  authority  or  disturbance  of  the  public  peace, 
we  should  account  ourselves  the  most  unworthy  persons  under  the  sun,  we  do  therefore  declare  our 
resolution  through  the  grace  of  God  to  improve  the  liberty  granted  us  by  the  said  gracious  Declaration  to 
the  everlasting  welfare  of  immortal  souls,  the  furtherance  of  your  Majestys  interest  and  government  so  far 
as  in  us  lieth  and  the  peace  of  these  nations,  so  that  your  Majesty  may  never  have  cause  to  repent  of  this 
your  signal  kindness  and  indulgence  towards  us. 

"  And  we  do  humbly  pray  that  the  house  of  Mr.  Thomas  Leadbeater  (one  of  ourselves  here 
subscribed)  commonly  called  the  Hermitage  alias  Armitage  within  this  said  County  may  be  the  place 
allowed  for  ourselves  and  others  to  meet  and  assemble  in  for  the  public  worship  of  God,  and  that  your 
Majestys  licence  may  be  granted  forth  (as  to  others  in  the  like  case)  to  the  said  Mr.  Leadbeater,  who  is  of 
the  Presbyterian  persuasion  (who  are  also  of  the  same  persuasion  and  the  congregation  who  shall  be  there 
assembled)  and  that  we  may  from  time  to  time  enjoy  your  Majestys  protection  against  all  disturbances  of 
our  several  meetings  and  assemblies  there. 

"  And  we  shall  ever  pray,"  &c.' 

The  result  of  this  petition  was  that  a  licence  was  granted  on  the  i6th  April  in  that  year 
1672."  Mr.  Leadbeater  preached  here  for  some  time,  and,  as  Calamy  sa)-s,  "  that  he  might  give 
the  less  offence  he  went  to  church  first  and  preached  at  home  afterwards."  For  some  reason  or 
other  he  subscqucnth-  went  to  live  in  Wirrall  Hundred,  in  Cheshire,  where  he  had  a  congregation, 
and  where  he  died  very  suddenly  on  the  4th  November,  1679,  at  the  age  of  52.  His  body  was 
brought  to  Holmes  Chapel  and  buried  there  on  the  7th  November.  He  was  an  intimate  friend 
of  the  Rev.  Henry  Newcome,  of  Gawsworth,  co.  Chester,  and  Manchester,  who  frequently 
mentions  him  in  his  Diary  and  Autobiography,  printed  by  the  Chetham  Society.  His  will, 
which  is  dated  the  da\'  of  his  death,  is  very  short,  and  of  no  general  interest. 

His  eldest  son,  Juiix  Lk.\I)BE.\T1:r,  who  succeeded  his  father,  and  is  described  as  of  the 
Inner   Temple,  London,  in    1690,  appears  to  have  sold   the   Hermitage  estate   to    Mr.  Thomas 

'  The  draft  of  this  pctilion  was  sen!  to  Mr.  T.  \V.  Rarlow  by  the  Rev.  K,  B.  .\spland,  M..\.,or  Diikinfiehl,  and  is  printed  in 
the  (CcWi/ edition  of  his  "  .Sl<etch  of  the  History  of  tlie  Church  at  Hohnes  Chapel,"  1S53,  pp.  II,  12.  With  it  is  printed  a 
letter  from  Mr.  Leadlieater  to  the  Rev.  Henry  Newcome,  dated  Hermitage,  9  April,  '72  [1672],  and  relating  to  this  petition.  In 
this  he  refers  to  his  (Leadbeater's)  brother,  then  in  London,  and  asks  Newconoe's  advice  as  to  sending  this  petition,  &c. 

"  The  names  of  those  who  signed  this  petition  are  not  preserved. 

"  Domestic  State  Papers,  Licences  to  preach,  1672,  No.  1S5.  The  entries  are,  "  a  licence  to  Thomas  Leadbeater  to  be  a 
Pic^byterian  Teacher  in  his  ovvne  house  in  Sandbatch  parish,  Cheshire,"  and  "  the  house  of  Thomas  Leadbeater  in  Sandbatch 
parish,  Cheshire,  licensed  for  a  Presbyterian  meeting  place."  A  facsimile  of  one  of  these  licences  (that,  namely,  which  was 
granted  for  a  meeting  place  at  Warrington)  will  be  found  in  the  Local  Gleanings  Magazine  relating  to  Lancashire  and 
Cheshire,  opposite  p.  441,  with  an  account  of  the  Declaration  of  Indulgence,  &c.,  by  the  late  Mr.  J.  K.  Bailey,  F.S..-\. 


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214  SANDBACH. 


Hall,  of  Cranag'c,  ironmaster,  in  1702.  The  foregoing  pedigree  traces  the  Leadbeater  family 
for  several  generations. 

Mr.  TllOM.VS  H.\L[.,  who  thus  became  the  owner  of  the  Hermitage  estate,  was  the  second 
son  of  Michael  Hall,  of  Trambury,  co.  Worcester,  where  he  was  born  in  1657.  He  was  an  iron- 
master, and  probably  smelted  iron  at  the  place  in  Cranage,  known  as  the  Forge,  as  well  as  in 
other  places  in  Cheshire  and  the  adjacent  counties.'  By  his  wife  Joanna  Cotton,  he  had  two 
children,  both  of  whom  died  young,  and  were  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel  in  the  year  1700." 

By  an  indenture  dated  30th  September,  1708,  he  made  a  settlement  of  his  estates,  which 
has  some  general  interest.  The  capital  messuage  "called  the  Hall  of  the  Hermitage,  alias 
Armitage,"  and  all  the  houses,  lands,  &c.,  belonging  to  it,  certain  lands  lately  purchased  from 
Edmund  Hough,  clerk,  and  Sarah  his  wife,  "all  of  which  messuages,  &c.,  are  in  Crannage, 
Church  Hulme  and  Twemlowe,"  together  with  certain  lands,  &c.,  in  Staffordshire,  were  settled 
upon  himself  and  his  wife  for  their  lives  and  then  to  their  children,  if  any,  with  remainder  to 
I'^dward  Hall  his  brother,  and  his  heirs  male  in  tail  male,  with  other  remainders  over.^  The 
following  payments  for  charitable  purposes  were,  however,  to  be  a  first  charge  on  the  estate  : — 

"  The  sum  of  ^4  per  annum  to  such  charitable  uses  as  are  declared  and  mentioned  on  a  certain 
table  [or  tablet]  now  hanged  up  by  the  said  Thomas  Hall  in  the  Chappell  of  Church  Hulme  [/.£-.,  for  the 
Schoolmaster  of  the  School  for  teaching  10  poor  children  of  the  chapelry  of  Church  Hulme  or  other  places 
in  the  parish  of  Sandbach]  and  also  such  sums  of  money  as  shall  be  necessary  for  the  keeping  in  sufficient 
repair  one  School  lately  built  by  the  said  Thomas  Hall  in  the  township  of  Cranage,  for  ever,  and  after  the 
death  of  the  said  Thomas  Hall  to  raise  the  further  sum  of  40s,  20s  whereof  to  be  paid  to  the  Vicar  of 
Sandbach  and  20s  to  the  Curate  of  Church  Hulme  on  the  24th  December  in  each  year  on  condition  that 
the  Vicar  of  Sandbach  for  the  time  being  shall  once  in  every  seven  years  on  that  day  in  the  Chapel  of 
Church  Hulme  read  in  an  audible  voice  this  indenture  of  settlement  immediately  after  divine  service  in 
the  morning.  And  out  of  the  messuages  and  lands  purchased  from  Edmund  Hough  to  raise  enough 
money  to  pay  for  10  pennyworth  of  white  bread  every  Lord's  day  for  ever  and  such  money  as  shall  be 
sufficient  to  pay  for  decent  and  sufficient  blue  coats  girdles  and  bands  for  the  poor  children  already 
mentioned  and  likewise  to  pay  for  as  many  new  Bibles  to  be  distributed  from  time  to  time  [to  such  of  the 
said  children  as  should  publicly  say  the  Church  Catechism  in  Hulmes  Chapel]  according  as  is  printed 
upon  a  certain  table  now  hanged  uji  by  the  said  Thomas  Hall  in  the  said  Chappell  of  Church  Hulme. 
And  out  of  the  lands  at  Talk  on  the  Hill,  co.  Stafford,  to  raise  20s  to  pay  the  same  on  the  ist  May  to  the 
Curate  of  the  Chapel  of  Talk  on  the  Hill  for  the  time  being  that  he  during  Lent  shall  catechize  the 
children  every  Sunday  afternoon." 

He  died  on  the  25th  March,  1715,  and  in  his  will,  dated  nth  March,  I7i3[-i4],  he  charges 
the  Hermitage  estate  with  the  further  sum  of  £6  per  annum  for  the  Boys'  School  erected  b\-  him 
in  Cranage,  and  also  with  £a,  per  annum  to  be  paid  to  the  Schoolmistress  of  a  Girls'  School 
then  recently  erected  by  him  in  Cranage,  and  a  further  sufficient  sum  to  purchase  blue  coats, 
girdles,  and  Bibles  for  the  girls  taught  at  that  school. 

>  In  the  will  of  his  nephew  anil  successor,  Thomas  Hall,  Esq.,  dated  3  T^n.  1747-S,  he  desired  his  executors  to  cany  on  the 
trade  at  Bodfany  [Ijodvari,  co.  Flint]  Forye.  Thi=  Thomas  Hall  w.is  himself  burn  on  the  3rd  June,  1702,  "at  Warmingham 
Forge." 

"•  In  the  entries  of  their  hurial  in  the  Register,  the  father  is  described  as  "  M'  Thomas  Hall  of  Cranage,"  not  having 
then  purchased  the  Hermitage.  He  presented  a  palcn  to  Holmes  Chapel  church  in  commemoration  of  the  death  of  these 
two  children  (see  p.  161). 

»  The  next  in  remainder  was  "William  Hall  of  the  city  of  London,  ironmonger,  son  of  Michaell  Hall  deceased,  one 
other  of  the  brothers  ol  the  said  Thomas  Hall,"  and  his  heirs  male  in  tail  male.  Another  Mr.  William  Hall  gave  a  silver 
communion  paten  to  Lawton  church,  on  which  was  engraved,  "The  gift  of  Mr.  William  Hall,  Iron  Master,  to  Lawiou 
parish. "    Lawton  is  near  Congleton  in  Cheshire.    This  piece  of  plate  was  stolen  in  1 792.    (See  Mamheslcr  Mercury  for  Sept.  4. ) 


CRANAGE  TOWNSHIP.  215 


Thomas  Hall,  Esq.,  his  nephew,  who  succeeded  to  his  estates,  married  at  Nantwich  loth 
August,  1738,  Miss  Elizabeth  Bayley,  co-heiress  to  her  brother  Thomas  Bayley,  of  the  Inner 
Temple,  Esq.  He  was  High  Sheriff  of  Cheshire  in  1745,  and  died  at  the  Hermitage  on  the 
27th  June,  1748,  aged  46  years,  leaving  one  son  and  three  daughters.  His  will,  dated  23rd 
January,  i747[-8],  was  proved  at  Chester  on  the  23rd  March,  i748[-9]. 

His  son  Thomas  Bayley  Hall,  Esq.,  who  was  only  three  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
father's  death,  succeeded  his  father,  but  during  his  minority  the  Hermitage  appears  to  have 
been  let  to  various  tenants.  From  175 1  to  1759,  and  possibly  later,  Thomas  Ashton,  Esq.,  was 
living  there,  and  there  are  many  entries  of  his  children  in  the  Holmes  Chapel  registers  (see 
p.  181),  and  in  1764  Peter  Brooke,  Esq.  {?of  Mere),  was  living  there.  Mr.  Hall  married  in  1820, 
when  75  )'ears  of  age,  Miss  Elizabeth  Ravenscroft,  of  Leftwich  Hall,  who  was  then  63  years  ot 
age.  He  died  without  issue  on  the  8th  September,  1828,  aged  83,  and  was  buried  at  Holme^ 
Chapel  on  the  iSth  September  following.  His  widow  was  buried  there  on  the  2nd  March 
1832,  aged  75  years  (see  their  monumental  tablets,  pp.  163  and  165). 

Dr.  Richard  Eduutrd  Hall,  the  uncle  of  Thomas  Bayley  Hall,  Esq.,  was  a  well-known 
surgeon  in  Manchester  in  the  last  century.  He  died  on  the  13th  September,  1793,  aged  90 
years,  and  was  buried  in  the  Collegiate  church  there.  By  his  wife  Grace,  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  John  Wall,  Vicar  of  Rostherne,  co.  Chester,  he  had  a  family  of  three  sons  and  six 
daughters,  most  of  whom  were  well  known  in  Manclicster  and  the  neighbourhood,  but  none  of 
whom  left  any  issue.y 

On  the  death  of  Thomas  Bayley  Hall,  Esq.,  in  1828,  his  estates,  according  to  the  provisions 
of  his  will  dated  21st  April,  1827,  were  sold,  and  the  money  so  obtained,  subject  to  certain  life 
charges,  legacies,  &c.,  was  divided  into  three  equal  shares  among  the  descendants  of  his  three 
sisters,  Jane,  Mary,  and  Anne  Hall.  Of  these  y^rw^  Hall  married  Samuel  Vernon,  of  Middlewich 
and  Chester,  Esq.,  and  died  in  1775,^  leaving  issue  one  son  and  two  daughters,  Ralph  Vernon, 
who  died  in  1799,^  unmarried,  Mary  Vernon,  who  married  William  Eccles,  of  Davenham,  Esq., 
and  Ann  Vernon,  who  married  Thomas  Bridge,  of  Davenham,  Esq."  Mary  Hall  married  the 
Rev.  James  Falconer,  of  Lichfield,''  and  died  in  1821,  leaving  four  daughters,  who  all  married 
and  had  issue. '^  Anne  Hall  married  William  Inge,  of  Thorpe  Constantine,  Esq.,  and  died  in 
1792,  leaving  an  only  son,  William  Phillips  Inge,  Esq.,  and  two  daughters.''  Mr.  Hall's  estates 
in  the  townships  of  Holmes  Chapel,  Cranage,  Cotton,  and  Twemlow  were  advertised  for  sale  by 

>■  A  tombstone  bearing  a  number  of  inscriptions  to  this  branch  of  the  Hall  family,  placed  in  the  Collegiate  church, 
now  the  Cathedral,  Manchester,  will  be  found  in  Hibbert  Ware's /fW^rfa/Zowj-  iti  Maiuliesler,  vol.  ii.  p.  331.  The  information 
there  given  will  be  found  incorporated  in  the  Hall  pedigree  in  the  text.  Miss  Frances  Hall,  the  last  surviving  daughter  of 
I)'  Richard  Edward  Hall,  died  on  the  11  June  1S28,  aged  87  years  and  bequeathed  her  whole  fortune,  more  than  ^40,000,  to 
the  Manchester  Infirmary  and  other  charitable  institutions  in  Manchester.  A  fine  monument,  by  Chantrey,  was  erected  to  her 
memory  in  the  Collegiate  church,  now  the  Cathedral. 

'  She  was  buried  in  Chester  Cathedral,  where  a  mural  tablet  commemorates  her  and  her  son.  She  is  described  as  Jane 
Vernon,  first  wife  ol  Samuel  Vernon  and  eldest  daughter  of  Thomas  Hall,  of  Hermitage,  Esq.,  died  Sept.  17,  1775,  aged  near 
36  years;  Ralph,  son  of  Samuel  and  Jane  Vernon,  died  May  20,  1799,  aged  24  years. 

"  Mr.  Eccles  had  a  son  and  heir  described  as  "  William  Eccles,  the  younger,  of  Davenham,  Esq.,"  in  1829,  when  he  was  a 
captain  in  the  17th  Regiment.     Mrs.  Bridge  died  in  June,  1S14,  without  issue. 

I"  Her  marriage  is  thus  recorded  in  W^xm-^'i  Manchester  Mercury  for  the  29th  Sept.,  1761:  — "  On  Saturday  last  was  married 
at  our  Collegiate  Church  the  Rev.  M'  Faliiner  {sic  for  Falconer]  of  Chester  to  Miss  Molly  Hall,  daughter  of  the  late  Thomas 
Hall,  of  Armitage,  in  Cheshire,  a  most  amiable  young  lady  with  a  handsome  fortune." 

'  These  four  daughters  were  Elizabeth  Falconer,  married  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Pearson,  of  Lichfield,  and  had  issue  the  Rev. 
George  Pearson,  living  in  1829;  Mary  Falconer,  married  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Norbury,  of  Eton,  and  had  an  only  child,  J.  G.  Norbury, 
Esq.,  living  in  1S29;  Frances  Falconer,  married  Col.  William  Charles  Madan,  of  Lichfield,  and  had  issue;  and  Catherine 
Falconer,  married  Col.  Edward  Miles,  of  Lichfield  (afterwards  Sir  Edward  Miles,  Knt.),  and  had  issue. 

''  One  of  these  daughters,  Henrietta,  married,  I  think,  the  Rev.  Spencer  Madan,  D.D.,  and  had  issue.  A  sum  of /5, 000 
was  beqeaihed  by  Thomas  Hall,  Esq.,  in  1827  to  the  children  of  his  late  niece,  Heniictta  Madan,  deceased. 


2l6 


HALL,   OF   THE   HERMITAGE. 


iS  ^  S  ^  '^ 

«    O    rt  «*  ^ 


d  -ii  T3  ii 


Hall,  ^ 
gent., 
rot her 
1715. 
on,  CO. 
April, 

Sept., 
Imes 
Sept. 
.1. 

|_-5^«CrtCT- 

^^S3k5j?- 

X  ".3''- 


C3  [J  °        23  "^    °~'2       ^        —  5.  (J  S 


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o  2  "  :3  ^  t;  '^  ^.-=  — ■, 


'  O    £    O    »i    O 


Kq  £  •"  u 


HALL,   OF   THE    HERMITAGE. 


^  Cr^  ^ 

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'^^  '^   ■ 

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lizabe 
;d  an 
Nov. 

(^2  c 

<£ 

-.f 

1 

3.   Anne  Hall, 
Bapt.  at  H.  C. 
7  Marr.  1742-3. 
Marr.  26  Nov. 

1763,  to 
William  Inge, 

of  Thorpe 

Constantine, 

CO.  Stafford, 

Esq. 

Hall, 
at 
ester, 

6.  ' 

— _s  g  -g  z  S 
c55     S 

^ 

1 
.    Mary  Hall, 
lapt.  at  H.  C. 
7  Sept.  1740. 

Marr.  at 
Manchester, 
6  Sept.  1761, 

to  the 
Rev.  James 
alconer,    D.D 
(of  Chester), 
Prebendary  0 
Lichfield 
Cathedral. 

A 

1 

Charles  Hall, 
Died  12  Sept 

aged  2  years. 

N«                      "               fc          K 

.         ^ 

-    S    C               VO'    S"  - 

1 

I.  Jane  Hall 
lapt.  at  H.  C 
9  Oct.  1739. 
Marr.  before 

1770  to 
amuel  Verno 
af  Middlewic 
and  Chester, 

Esq.     Died 
17  Feb.  1775 

aged  nearly 
5  years.     Bu 

in  Chester 

Cathedral. 

A 

5  S""  S -S  K'StS 

1 

Richard  I 

of  Manche 

Died  s.p, 

Tune,  181 

"Will  ma 

21  July,  I 

Pr.  at  Che 

13  June,  I 

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f  Phil 
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;s  Ch; 
91. 
e  16 

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>.  179 

5   0  ^-j=  J  '^■^  ^  5  ^. 

El.IZAB 

OfT 

venscrr 

Leftwi. 

CO.  C 

arr.  Se 

20.  D 
1832. 

Holme; 

2  Marc 
„V.  75. 

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Pr. 

Fel 

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II 

1 

YI.EY  Ham. 
ge,  esquire, 
and  heir. 
Imes  Chapel 

ept.  1828, 
Bur.  at 

Chapel, 
..    M.I.    S.p 
i  21  April, 

at  Chester, 
c.  1828. 

John  Hall, 
1  Congleton, 
Esq.      Bur. 
at  Holmes 

Chapel, 
0  fan.  1781. 
M'.I.     S.p. 

<    B     C     0   ^rj.        .-J-^-     ^^ 

0                         r^ 

w  ■£  g  2  =  00  cZ"  E  c3  5  e-  0 

Thomas 

of  Hen 

only  : 

Bapt.  at 

13. 

Died 

aged 

Hoi: 

16  Sept.  I 

Will  n 

1827. 

10 

Hall, 
ter,  Esq. 
Sept. 
;d  60, 
Bur.  at 
ister, 
179'. 

-3    oi  "1  tjj      ^  ^ 

?=  "  a;  c  ON^  «  c:  rt'^=<5 


"  rt  ^53     ^  'o  ' — -co  '^    £  —  -r^  CO 


rt    ^  ^  ir>      CL, 


2l8 


SANDBACH. 


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<  o       ■— > 


<    O    !^  P, 


i9; 

Q 
rs 

p  .\l.ii.i;,  dau.  of                John  Armitstead,    =j 

Taylor.                  of  .Studfold, 

Marr.  at  Horton,                     Co.  York. 
24  Feb.  1651-2.                Bur.  at  Horton, 

Bur.  there                        8  Nov.  16S4. 
20  May,  1695.               Will  proved  1684. 

1 

-  Agnes,  on 

of  John  Arm 

"Horton, 

Marr.  there 

Bur.  th 

I 

Lawrence  Akmitstkam,  =j 

of  Arker,  co.  York.     Only 

surviving  child.     Bapt.  at 

Horton,  12  Ap.  165S. 

liur.  there  8  Dec.  1 742. 

Will  pr.  1742. 

■D  ^ 


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j2  ojii-C         •.    r---•U"^J-. 
^  G             ii 


ARMITSTEAD,  OF  CRANAGE,  HERMITAGE,  AND  SANDBACH. 


>i9 


I.            .  .£  -0 

.2i  13    >  >■    ^  '5l         2 

^  S;2Cl-|  Il 

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France 

Armitste: 

rn  28  Sept 

ed  14  Feb. 

^3 

*jri'^u-^'-rti^ 

^"^^  o-°i.>S-                    ■5^'S 

Hester, 
lau.  of  the 
Richard 
sie,  of 
ington. 
rr.  at 
Trinity, 
:ster, 
y,  182S. 
14  April, 

Bur.  at 
ch  Heath 
.irch. 

Ir 

r    Susan 
second  c 
Rev. 

Mas 

Codd 

Ma 

Holy 

Ch( 

27  Ma 

Died  2 

1882. 

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chi 

J  <  1  '^  1  '^  5       <;• 

11 

ir 

c'a 

"              CA      0      1^ 

Armitsi 
k.  Vicar 
andbach 
S28  to 
■4  Feb. 
rinity  C 
Uxford. 
23,  M.A 
9  April, 
at  Sand 
Heath. 

3^.        ~    C%      ,'^ 
0  —  ^  ^  0    y. 

c  i-.iri       "^b^      00-. 

c  >    .     "=     "2  g 

^  S  - 

Joh 

ck 

from 

Born 

Of 

B.A.  I 

Died 

M.I 

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II 

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^-y  - 

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— ^r.  2>  &0   .tS^              ^  s  0 

i's..-S     -S--                  <" 

1- 

Catharine  Hest( 
Armitstead, 
datig/t/fr  and 

Born  at  Cranag- 
26  Feb.  1833. 

Died  at 

Teignmouth, 

unmarr.,  30  De 

1873.     Bur.  at 

(ioostrey. 

2  "S  >  —    "    ^  "  o-'  =^ 

u^     '^                -* 

'55    ^"^        b/)   ,  bO"^  ri 

II 

II 

Agnes  Ana 

Armitste; 

dattgiiky  1 

co-heir 

Born  at  Cra 

9  Oct.  18 

Died  at  Cra 

unmarr.  27 

1877.     Bu 

Uoostre 

^  -^     'H   •  ..J   * 

K  <  3  .S-~  .^  - 1  =  - 


<  5  '^  ^         •./"- 


r^  tlj  — 


p,  .3      -  =;  a  -^'' 


i  £  E  "" 


c  c  c       -    .f=  ■ 


SANDBACH. 


public  auction  in  July  and  August,  1S29,  in  19  lots."^  Before  tlie  sale  took  place  Lawrence 
Armitstead,  Esq.,  purchased,  by  private  contract,  lots  18  and  19,  the  former  being  the  manor 
or  lordship  of  Cranage,  and  the  capital  messuage  or  mansion  house  called  Hermitage,  with 
various  closes  of  land  in  Cranage,  Twcmlow,  and  Holmes  Chapel,  in  all  about  550  acres,  and  the 
latter  being  the  manor  of  Cotton,  the  ancient  messuage  called  Cotton  Hall,  and  lands  in  Cotton, 
Holmes  Chapel  and  Cranage,  in  all  about  421  acres.  The  price  of  these  two  lots  was  ^5 5,000, 
which,  with  ;^7,ooo  for  the  timber  on  the  same,  made  in  all  £62,000. 

L.WVRENCE  Armitstead,  E.sq.,  who  thus  acquired  the  Hermitage  and  other  estates  in  this 
Chapelry,  had  purchased  the  Cranage  Hall  estate  in  18 14  (see  p.  201 ).  He  was  the  eldest  sur- 
viving son  of  the  Rev.  John  Armitstead,  of  Middlewich,  who  was  descended,  as  shown  in  the 
previous  pedigree,  from  a  Yorkshire  family  of  that  name,  living  for  several  generations  in  or 
near  Horton  in  Ribblesdale  in  that  county.  The  Rev.  John  Armitstead,  who  was  buried  at 
Goostrcy  on  the  27th  August,  1 8 14,  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife,  Catherine,  daughter  and 
co-heir  of  John  Fenton  of  Betley,  co.  Stafford,  Esq.,  he  had  Laurence  Armitstead,  Esq.,  and 
other  issue,  and  by  his  second  wife.  Miss  Mary  Simpson,  he  had  an  only  surviving  son,  the 
Rev.  John  Armitstead,  vicar  of  Sandbach  from  1828  to  1865  (see  p.  53).  L.VURENCE  Armit- 
.STE.A.I),  of  the  Hermitage,  Esq.,  married  Harriet  Vyse,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Richard  Massie,  of 
Coddington,  co.  Chester,  in  1829,  but  she  died  in  1836,  leaving  two  daughters  and  co-heirs, 
Agnes  Anastasia  and  Catharine  Hester,  who  both  died  unmarried,  the  latter  on  the  20th  De- 
cember, 1873,  and  the  former  on  the  27th  Februar)-,  1877.  Laurence  Armitstead,  Esq.,  who 
died  on  the  31st  Oct.,  1874,  and  was  buried  at  Goostrey,  left  his  estates  to  his  nephew,  the 
Rev.  Joiix  RlClt.VRD  Armit.stead,  vicar  of  Sandbach,  who  is  the  present  owner  of  the  manors 
of  Cotton  antl  Cranage  and  of  the  Hermitage.  He  married,  in  1S66,  Frances  ALirj-,  eldest 
daughter  of  \V.  H.  Hornby,  Esq.,  M.P.  for  Blackburn,  co.  Lane,  by  whom  he  has  five 
sons  and  two  daughters.  The  pedigree  on  pages  218-19  traces  the  Armitstead  family  more  fully 
than  could  be  done  in  the  text. 

A  small  estate  in  this  township,  called  MILL  G.\TE,  was  for  several  generations  the  property 
of  a  family  named  V.WVUrev.  By  an  indenture,  dated  25th  Oct.,  1660,  Thomas  Vawdrey 
purchased  from  William  Swettenham,  of  Swettenham,  co.  Chester,  gentleman,  a  messuage  with 
lands.  Sec,  in  Cranage,  afterwards  known  as  Mill  Gate.  He  and  his  son  Thomas  acquired 
other  lands  by  purchase  from  time  to  time,  and  in  January,  16S6-J,  Thomas  the  son  (his 
father  ha\ing  died  in  May,  1678),  then  called  "  Thomas  Vawdrey  ye  elder,  of  Cotton,  yeoman," 
settled  his  estate  in  Cranage  on  Thomas,  his  son  and  heir,  and  his  heirs  male,  with  remainder  to 
Randle  Vawdrey,  his  younger  son,  and  Anne  Vawdrey,  his  only  surviving  daughter.^  This 
Thomas  Vawdrey,  the  elder,  was  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel,  4th  May,  1697.  In  his  will,  dated 
6th  Feb.,  1694-5,  he  left  /'5  to  the  poor  of  Cotton,  and  referred  to  his  house  in  Cranage,  called 
"  the  Millgatehouse  wherein  my  son  Thomas  doth  now  inhabit."  Thomas  Vawdre}',  the  son, 
married  Sarah,  daughter  of  John  Whittingham,  of  Moorsbarrow,  co.  Chester,  and,  d\-ing  in 
No\-ember,  17 1 5,  left  his  estate  to  his  eldest  son,  Daniel  Vawdrey,  of  Cranage,  j-coman,  who 
married  FLmnah  Sandbach,  and  was  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel  15th  Oct.,  1763.      He  left  several 

'  They  were  descrilied  as  iioo  acres  in  all,  incluJing  woodlands,  comprising  (i)  the  manor  or  lordship  of  Cranage,  the 
mansion  house  of  Hermitage,  his  late  re.sidence,  the  Swan  Inn,  &c.,  in  all  about  370  acres;  and  about  93  acres  of  fir  plantations 
on  Rudheath  ;  (2)  the  manor  or  lordship  of  Cotton,  containing  about  334  acres,  and  (3)  the  manor  or  lordship  of  Holmes  Chapel, 
containing  about  370  acres,  and  sundry  messuages  and  other  buildings  in  the  village  of  Holmes  Chapel. 

'  This  Anne  Vawdrey  married  Cranage  Wilcoxon  of  Sproston,  co.  Chester,  gent. 


CRANAGE   TOWNSHIP. 


sons,  of  whom  Thomas,  the  eldest,  inherited  the  Mill  Gate  estate,  and  Daniel  Vawdrey,  the 
second  son,  settled  at  Middlewich,  where  he  was  buried  3rd  April,  1801.  His  grandsons  (sons 
of  Daniel  Vawdrey,  of  Ravenscroft  Hall,  Esq.)  are  the  Rev.  Daniel  Vawdrey,  late  Fellow  of 
Brasenosc  College,  O.vford,  Rector  of  Stepney,  co.  Middlesex,  and  of  Darley,  co.  Dcrb}-,  and 
Benjamin  Llewelyn  Vawdrey,  of  Tushingham  Hall,  co.  Chester,  Esq.,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for 
the  above  account  of  this  local  family.  Thomas  Vawdrey,  of  the  Millgate,  died  in  May,  1779, 
leaving  an  only  surviving  daughter,  Anna  or  Hannah,  who  married  the  Rev.  James  Eyton 
Mainwaring,  of  Ellaston,  co.  Stafford,'''  whose  son,  James  Mainwaring,  sold  the  Millgate,  and 
it  now  forms  part  of  the  Armitstead  estate  in  this  township. 

A  family  of  the  .name  of  Amson  or  Ame.SON  are  occasionally  met  with  in  the  fifteenth, 
sixteenth,  and  seventeenth  centuries,  as  holding  lands  in  this  township  and  in  Holmes  Chapel. 
From  them  a  branch  settled  in  Middlewich,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  the 
two  families  were  re-united,  as  subsequent!}'  desciibcd.  In  llarl.  MS.  2,153  is  a  rough 
pedigree  of  this  family,  and  in  Harl.  MS.  2,131,  f  129,  are  copies  of  a  number  of  deeds,  which 
are  thus  described  :  "  theise  decdes  in  the  hands  of  M''  Ampson  of  Midlewich  coppyed  1657  in 
Aprell  by  R.  Holme  of  the  Citty  of  Chester  Alderman  &  Justice  of  Peace."  The  earliest 
member  of  the  family  described  in  the  pedigree  is  William  Ameson,  who  was  bailiff  of  Sir 
Thomas  Needham,  Knt.,  for  Drakelowe,  and  was  living  in  1457.  His  son  George  married 
Alice,  daughter  and  heir  of  Robert  Scott  and  PLmma,  his  wife,  with  whom  he  had  lands  in 
Church  Hulme.  Their  descendant,  Richard  Ameson,  who  was  living  in  1529,''  had  a  scjn 
Hugh,  who  also  had  a  son  Hugh,  who  was  dead  before  1604.'  Margaret,  the  widow  of  this 
last  Hugh,  survived  her  husband,  and  her  will,  dated  l8th  May,  1612,  was  proved  at  Chester  in 
that  \ear.  Their  son  and  heir,  Hugh  Ameson,  was  married  at  Holmes  Cha]DeI  on  the  27th  Aug., 
1604,  to  Anne,  daughter  of  Hugh  Walley,  of  Cotton,  and  sister  of  Thomas  Wallcy,  of 
Brasenose  College,  Oxford.^  This  Hugh  Ameson,  of  Cranage,  occurs  in  the  Cheshire  Recog- 
nizance Rolls  on  the  2nd  April,  163 1,  together  with  Thomas  Walley,  of  Knightsgrange,  as 
a  feoffee  of  Laurence  Winnington,  of  the  Hermitage,  concerning  the  Hall  of  Hermitage, 
and  his  lands  in  Cranage,  Churchhulme,  &c.  In  an  indenture,  dated  ist  Oct.  1633,  made 
between  Hugh  Amson,  of  Crannach,  gent.,  on  the  one  part,  and  Laurence  Wyn}-ngton,  of  the 
Ermitage,  Esquire,  Paul  Wynyngton,  of  the  Birches,  gent.,  Thomas  Walley,  of  Hoomestreet  in 
the  said  county,  gent.,  William  Amson,  of  Brcreton,  clerk,  and  John  Amson,  of  Middlewich, 
yeoman,  of  the  other  part,  it  was  agreed  to  le\'y  a  fine,  &c.,  of  the  capital  messuage  <A  the 
said  Hugh  Amson  in   Crannach,  "  where  he  n(.nv   dwellcth,"  and  all  his  lands,  &c.,  there  and  in 

s  See  her  monumental  tablet  in  Holmes  Chapel  church,   p.  166. 

'■  Richard  Ameson  of  Craiini/u-  and  Thomas  Cotton  of  Cotton,  John  Wyiinyngton  del  Hermitage,  senior,  Henry  Sutton, 
chaplain,  and  Thomas  Yarwood  of  Cranache,  feoffees  to  the  use  of  the  said  Richard,  confirm  to  John  Davenport,  son  and  heir 
apparent  of  John  Davenport,  of  Davenport,  esquire,  John  Wynnyngton,  son  and  heir  of  John  Wynnynton,  of  Armitage,  geni ., 
Henry  Sutton,  chaplain,  and  others,  lands  in  Church  Ilulme,  now  or  late  in  the  tenure  of  George  Ameson,  to  the  use  of  Anne 
Willys,  daughter  of  Richard  Willys,  for  her  life,  then  to  the  use  of  Hugh  Ameson,  son  and  heir  of  llic  said  Rithanl :ini\  his  heirs, 
with  remainder  to  the  right  heirs  of  the  said  Richard.  Dated  22  June,  21  Henry  VHI.  [1529]  (Harl.  .MS.  2131  f.  132'').  Ruliard 
Ameson  occurs  as  a  Juror  in  1541,  on  an  inquisition  as  to  a  right  of  way  from  Eaton  to  .Swettenham. 

'  "  Hin^h  Ameson  of  Cranage"  viSlS  3.  juror  on  the  Inquisition  posl-morteni  of  Robert  Ratcliffe  in  1 571.  He  is  also 
mentioned  in  1 588  in  the  will  of  Ralph  Ameson  of  Sandbach. 

'  Indenture  made  25th  August,  2  James  [1604],  between  Hugh  Wynnington,  of  the  .\rmitage,  gent.,  Thomas  Walley,  of 
Brasenose  College  in  O.xford,  gent.,  of  the  one  part,  and  Hugh  Amson  ij/' CVa^ac/;,  John  Amson  of  Leighes,  and  John  Amson, 
of  Middlewich,  yeomen  on  the  other  par%  by  which,  in  consideration  of  a  marriage  to  be  had  between  the  said  Hugh  Amson 
and  Anne  Walley,  sister  to  the  said  Thomas,  certain  lands  of  the  said  Hugh  in  Church  Hulme  are  settled.  Margaret  Amson, 
widow,  mother  of  the  said  Hugh,  Hugh  Amson,  deceased,  father  of  the  said  Hugh,  aie  nu-ntioned.  The  said  .\nne  was  to 
receive  ^^'170  from  her  father's  will.     The  Walley  family  lived  at  Cotton  (Harl.   MS.   2131   f.    132''). 


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224  SANDBACH. 


Church  Hulme  and  Rudheath,  4  messuages,  150  acres  of  land,  50  acres  of  meadow,  150  acres 
of  pasture,  20  acres  of  wood,  50  acres  of  heath,  and  20  acres  covered  with  water.  The 
witnesses  arc  Robert  Brercwood,  Thomas  Culcheth,  and  others.'^  He  had  issue  three  daughters, 
of  whom  one  died  )oung  ;  another,  Aimc,  married  Thomas  Bagnall,  of  Henton,  co.  Stafford  ; 
who  afterwards  hved  at  Cranage ;  and  the  other,  Mary  Ameson,  was  married  at  Holmes 
Chapel,  1 2th  Jan.  1647-8,  to  John  Ameson,  of  ]\Iiddlcwich,  gent.'  In  his  will,  dated 
19th  Feb.  1660-1,  and  proved  at  Chester  in  1665,  this  John  Ameson  leaves  all  his  goods,  &c., 
which  were  in  his  messuage  at  Church  Hulme,  to  his  son  John,  and  also  "  my  go'd  ring  and  coat  of 
arms,"  and  also  all  his  lands,  &c.,  in  Cotton.  He  mentions  his  cousin,  John  Amson,  of  Leighes, 
and  his  loving  friend,  John  Leadbeater,  of  Hermitage,  and  appoints  them  his  executors,  who, 
however,  renounced  the  trust.  John  Amson,  the  son,  who  was  seven  years  of  age  in  1657, 
M-as  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel  on  the  28th  March,  1691,  as  "  .M''  John  Amson  of  Church  Hulme." 
He  was  t^\■ice  married,  his  first  wife,  Esther,  being  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel  on  the  12th  Dec. 
1674.  His  second  wife.  Mar}-  Holme,  of  Brereton,  to  whom  he  was  married  at  Rostherne  on 
the  5th  Oct.  1676,  survived  him,  and  was  living  at  Salford,  near  Manchester,  in  172S.'"  In  his 
will,  dated  17th  June,  1690,  he  refers  to  his  messuages  at  Gorton,  near  Manchester,"  and  also 
to  his  messuages,  &c.,  in  Churchhulme.  His  eldest  son  and  heir,  Zacharias  Amson,  afterwards 
of  Newton,  near  Middlewich,  and  the  Lane  Ends  in  Holmes  Chapel,  gentleman,  was  buried  at 
Holmes  Chapel,  29th  April,  1738."  In  his  will,  dated  30th  Oct.  1728,  he  bequeathed  to  his 
wife,  Hannah,  all  his  estates  in  Occleston  and  Stanthorn,  co.  Chester,  as  also  in  Middlewich, 
Kinderton,  Newton,  Suttun,  and  W'harton,  co.  Chester,  and  "  m_\-  estate  in  Church  Hulme  called 
Sandelands  tenement  which  I  purchased,"  and  also  "  mj-  estate  in  the  county  of  Warwick."  He 
died  without  issue,  and  his  widow  married,  in  Dec.  1739,  Robert  Lowe,  of  Newton,  near 
Middlewich,  Esq.,  J. P.  and  D.L.,  but  died  without  issue,  and  was  buried  at  Middlewich  on  the 
8th  June,  1754.''  The  pedigree  on  the  preceding  pages  traces  the  family  of  Ameson,  of  Cranage, 
Holmes  Chapel,  and  Middlewich,  down  to  this  period. 

An  old  house  in  this  township,  called  E.\RDSH.\\v,  'i  was  for  many  generations  in  the 
possession  of  the  PAGE  family.  From  a  series  of  deeds  copied  in  Harl.  MS.,  2,ooj,  the  first 
members  of  this  family  appear  to  have  been  Richard  le  Page,  who  was  living  in  1 339,  and  William 
le  Page,  of  Middlewich,  li\-ing  in  1366.  The  latter  had  a  son,  Roger  le  Page,  of  Middlewich, 
who   in  1377  granted  to  Hugh  le  Page,  his  brother,  and  Katherine,   his  wife,  lands   in  Cranage 

''  Harl.  MS.  2131  f.  IJ2''.  On  Sept.  \?,\.\\,  \6',0,  Hugh  Amson  of  Cnv:a£;c,  :;ci:t.,  Thomas  Walley  of  Ilulmestreete,  co. 
Chester,  gent.,  Thomas  Bagnall  of  Cranage,  and  Anne,  his  wife,  swear  to  the  truth  of  copies  of  old  deeds,  &c.,  delivered 
to  George  Mainwaring,  gent.,  by  order  of  the  Court  of  Exchequer,  dated  5th  lune,  1650,  to  the  use  of  John  Amson,  gent. 
[?  of  Middlewich]  (//'/(/.). 

'  "John  Amson  of  Midlewiche  and  Mary  Amson  doughter  to  Hugh  Amson  of  Cranage  gent,  were  married  the  eleventh 
day  of  January  in  the  yeare  of  our  lord  God  1645."  (Holmes  Chapel  Register.)  Yet  in  the  Goosirey  Register  the 
marriage  is  entered  as  two  years  later,  which  seems  to  be  the  correct  date.  "  1647  John  Amson  gent,  and  Mris  Mary  Amson 
were  married  January  12." 

"■  Her  will  is  dated  26th  August    1728.     The  persons  named  in  it  will  be  found  in  the  .\mson  pedigree. 

"   In  the  Manchester  Register  this  entry  occurs  :  — 

1687.     June    20    Elizabeth    Daughter   of  Mr.  John   Anip^on  of  Church   Hulme  tleparted    this    life   at    Mr. 
Jiradshaws. 

"  "  Mr.  Zachariah  Amson  of  ye  Lane  Ends  bury'il  .^pril  29,"   173S. 

''  .Mr.  Lowe  was  buried  at  Middlewich  14th  April,  1750. 

1  I  have  had  some  difficulty  in  ascertaining  whether  this  house  is  really  in  Cranage  township  or  not,  but  the  weight  of 
opinion  inclines  that  way.  The  Pages  seem  to  have  been  all  baptised  and  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel,  which  is  strong  evidence 
oi  their  residence  being  in  that  Ch.npehy  ;  and  in  1710  there  is  in  the  Holmes  Chapel  register  the  entry  of  the  marriage  of 
Richard  Bloore,  who  is  described  "  as  of  Eardshaw  m  ye  Township  of  Cranage  and  in  ye  Chapellry  of  Church  Hulme,"  wliich 
seems  conclusive. 


CRANAGE  TOWNSHIP. 


for  their  lives,  with  remainder  to  Richard  Page,  their  son  and  heir,  and  his  heirs  male,  with  diver 
other  remainders  over.  It  is  probable  that  Hugh  le  Page  settled  in  Cranage,  and  was  the 
ancestor  of  Peter  or  Piers  Page,  of  Eardshaw,  who  was  living  in  1509  and  1523,  but  was  dead 
before  1532.  His  son  and  heir,  William  Page,  of  Eardshaw,  living  1533  to  1565,  married 
Margery,  daughter  of  Thomas  Smethwick,  by  whom  he  had  issue  Hugh  Page  and  Humphrey 
Page,  both  described  as  "of  Rodmell,  co.  Leicester,"  in  1553.  This  Hugh  Page  married 
Katherinc,  daughter  of  John  Mere,  of  Mere,  co.  Chester,  Esq.,  and  appears  to  have  been  the 
ancestor  of  Humphrey  Page,  of  Eardshaw,  gent,  who  was  buried  at  Holmes  Chapel  on  the 
9th  Dec.  1641.  By  his  wife,  Margaret,  daughter  of  John  Duncalf  (who  was  buried  at  Holmes 
Chapel  i6th  Oct.  1614),  he  had  a  son  and  heir,  John  Page,  of  Eardshaw,  gent.,  who  married 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Hugh  Massey.  The  baptisms  of  five  sons  and  five  daughters  are 
recorded  in  the  Holmes  Chapel  Registers  between  161 8  and  1635.  She  was  buried  there  on 
the  1 8th  May,  1648,  and  he  was  living  in  1654,  after  which  date  he  would  appear  to  ha\-e 
parted  with  Eardshaw,"'  for  in  1662  the  will  of  William  Wainwright,  of  Eardshaw,  was  proved 
at  Chester.  Eardshaw  Hall,  often  written  Yeardshaw  or  Yardshaw,  and  now  called  Yarnshaw, 
is  used  as  a  farm-house. 

A  place  called  THE  FORGE  in  Cranage  is  frequently  mentioned  in  the  Holmes  Chapel 
Registers,  and  was  one  of  the  localities  in  this  neighbourhood,''  where  the  smelting  of  iron  was 
carried  on  by  the  Hall  family  and  others,  who  are  described  as  "iron-masters."'  It  is  first 
named  in  the  Registers  in  1679,  \\'hen  Richard  Bolton,  "  clarke  of  the  fforge,"  and  Anne, 
daughter  of  John  Butterworth,  "  ffiner  at  Crannage  forge,"  were  buried.  It  was  in  acti\e 
work  in  1724,  when  several  "  forgemen  "  are  mentioned,  but  towards  the  middle  of  the  last 
century  it  appears  to  have  been  discontinued.  In  the  will  of  Lawrence  Booth,  of  Twcmlow, 
Esq.,  dated  12th  September,  1722,  he  speaks  of  having  purchased  tor  about  ii^soo  from  one 
Edward  Wheeler,  gent.,  a  part  or  share  of  an  Iron  Work  at  Cranage,  near  Churchhulme, 
otherwise  called  Holmes  Chapel,  "  which  share  is  devisable  by  me  and  not  subject  to  survivor- 
ship among  the  partners  of  the  said  work."  I  am  informed  that  the  Halls  lost  mone)-  over 
this  undertaking,  and  that  the  building  was  then  turned  into  a  flour-mill,  which  was  also 
unsuccessful.  It  is  still  used  as  a  flour-mill,  being  worked  by  Mr.  E.  Massey,  and  is  known  as 
Cranage  Mill  or  Massey's  Mill.  It  is  situated  just  over  the  Dane,  near  the  Vicarage.  The 
massive  .stone  weir  was  built  by  a  Mr.  Samuel  Poynton,  to  replace  the  old  wooden  one. 

'  It  is  probable  that  he  moved  to  Chester,  for  in  the  Register  of  St.  Bridget's  Church  in  that  city  I  find  this  entry  — 
"  Mr  John  I'age  late  of  Vardshavv  was  buryed  July  y'  third  1674."  It  may  also  be  noted  that  on  the  2Sth  Sept.  1663 
•Mr.  Thomas  Swanne,  rector  of  St.  Uridget's,  was  married  to  Mrs.  Hannah  Page,  spinster.  One  or  more  families  of  the  Pages 
lived  in  Chester  for  several  generations. 

"■  Another  of  these  was  Warmingham   Forge,  where  several  members  of  the  Hall  family  were  born,  as  stated  in  their 
pedigree  on  p.  216. 

'  Daniel  Cotton,  of  whom  an  account  is  given  on  p.  192,  is  described  as  "  of  Church  Hulme  iron-master,"  at  the  time  of 
his  burial  in  1722. 


226 


SANDBACH. 


Cljf  Cfjapclri)  of  (Coostrry. 


HIS  Chapclry,  situated  in  an  outlying  part  of  the  parish  of  Sandbach,  comprises 
fcnir  townships  : — 

(1)  BaRNSHAW-CUM-GOOSTREY.  (3)    TWEMhOW. 

(2)  Blackden.  (4)  Lees. 
The  Chapel  or  CllURCil  of  Goostrcy,  in  the  first  of  these  Townships,  can  be 

traced  back  to  a  very  early  date.  In  a  licence  from  the  Abbot  of  Uieulacres, 
then  the  owners  of  the  advowson  of  Sandbach,  to  Thomas,  Abbot  of  St.  Werburghs  at  Chester, 
for  the  latter  to  have  a  chapel  in  his  manor-house  of  Barnshaw,  there  is  express  mention  of  the 
chapels  belonging  the  mother  church  of  Sandbach,  which  can  only  refer  to  those  of  Goostrey 
and  Molmes  Chapel.  If  the  Abbot  in  the  above-mentioned  undated  deed  be,  as  is  generally 
supposed,  Thomas  de  Capenhurst,  who  was  Abbot  from  1245  to  1269,  this  shows  that  this 
chapel  was  in  existence  at  that  date.  In  another  earl}' charter,  also  undated,  "  Abel,  chaplain 
of  Gostre,"  is  mentioned,  and  in  another  similar  undated  deed,  "  Hugh,  then  chaplain  of 
Goostree,"  occurs."  The  latter  also  occurs  in  a  deed,  the  date  of  which  may  be  fixed  at  1244.'' 
In  another  document,  dated  1320,  by  which  William,  son  of  Henry  de  Cranach,  makes  a  release 
of  certain  lands,  one  of  the  witnesses  is  "Geoffrey  [de  Cranach],  my  uncle,  at  this  time  chaplain 
of  Church  Holme  and  Goostree."''  In  the  Bishop's  Registry  at  Lichfield  there  is  enrolled  a 
copy  of  a  licence  from  Bishop  Roger  de  Norbury,  dated  the  second  of  the  nones  of  May 
[May  6],  1350,  granting  permission  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  hamlet  of  Gostrey  {apud 
Iiaiudctuin  dc  Gostr),  to  bury  their  dead  in  their  chapel  yard  on  account  of  the  distance  from 
the  mother  church  of  Sandbach,  and  the  inundations  [of  the  river  Dane]  and  other  difficulties  in 
carrying  the  bodies  to  their  parish  church,  and  also  because  the  bodies  so  detained  had  fre- 
quently become  decomposed.  The  oblations  for  all  funerals,  however,  were  to  be  paid  to  the 
Vicar  of  Sandbach,  or  to  the  proctor  of  the  Abbot  and  Convent  of  Diculacres,  who  then  held 
the  advowson. 

In  an  inquisition  taken  in  the  26th  Edward  III.  [1352]''  it  was  returned  that  "Thomas 
dc  Gostre  had  enfeoffed  the  church  of  Gostre  with  an  annual  rent  of  13s.  4d.,  issuing  out  of  his 
lands  and  tenements  in  Gostre  for  ever."  The  jurors  in  this  inquisition  also  found  "  that  the 
Abbot  of  Uieulacres  (who  possessed  the  advowson  of  Sandbach,  the  mother  church  of  this 
chapelry)  had  not  found  a  chaplain  to  celebrate  divine  services  in  the  chapels  of  Hulme  and 
Gostre,  as  he  was  bound  of  right  and  according  to  their  ancient   foundation.     The  said  Abbot 


'  Ilarl.  MS.  2,007,  f-  74'',  f-  62''. 

''  Il>id.,   ibid.,   f.  62.     One  of  the  other  witnesses  was  Richard  de  Wibunbury,  then  Sheriff  of  Cheshire,  which  office  he 
held  in   1244. 

■^  Ibid.,  ibid.,  f.  70. 

''  Inquisitions  formerly  at  Chester,  of  wliich  I  have  copies. 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOOSTREY. 


in  like  manner  had   not  found  a  chaplain   to  celebrate  divine  services  in   the  church  of  Sond- 
bach,  as  of  right  and  of  its  ancient  foundation  he  was  bound  to  do." 

Few  references  to  this  chapel  are  subsequently  met  with,  but  in  1405  William  de  Eton,  then 
atred  40  years,  in  an  inquiry  as  to  the  age  of  two  co-heiresses,  taken  in  that  year"^,  refers  to  an 
event  which  happened  on  the  feast  of  All  Saints  [Nov.  i],  9  Richard  H.  [1385],  when  the  five 
brothers  of  the  said  William  "  were  slain  at  Gosetre,  and  were  buried  in  the  Chapel  [yard] 
there." 

When  this  little  chapel  was  visited  in  1569  it  is  recorded  that  there  were  in  several  places 
in  the  church  these  coats  of  arms, — (i)  Kinsey  (Argent  a  chevron  between  three  squirrels  Gules, 
on  the  chevron  a  mullet  of  the  first  for  difi"erence)  ;  (2)  Vcnablcs  ;  (3)  Sable,  a  cross  engrailed 
Argent,  a  mullet  of  the  first  for  difference  ;  and  (4)  [?  Sable]  an  estoile  Argent.*' 

On  June  13,  1617,  the  following  interesting  agreement  relating  to  this  chapel  was  made. 
From  it  it  appears  that  the  chapel,  probably  built  of  wood  in  the  Cheshire  black  and  white 
style,  then  consisted  of  a  nave  and  chancel  only,  and  "  a  certain  out  ile  [aisle]  on  the  south  side 
of  the  said  chancell,"  which  belonged  to  the  Booths  of  Twemlow.' 

Articles  of  agreem'  concluded  and  agreed  vpon  the  13"'  day  of  June  An"  1617.     Between 

Henry  Manwaring  of  Kerincham   in  the  County  of  Chest''   Esq''  The.  Baskervile  of  Old 

W'ington  in  the  said  County  Esq''  John  Booth  of  Twemlow,  John  Kinsey  &  John  Eaton  of 

Blackden  in  the  sayd  County  gent'   by  the  mediacon  of  Peter  Daniel  of  Over  Tabley  in 

the  sayd  County  Esq''  and  by  and  w*''  the  consent  of  Henry  Wainewright   Churchwarden  of 

the  Church  or  Chappell  afforsd  vizd. 

Imprimis.     It  is  concluded  and   agreed  that  vvheras   there    hath    beene    suites   and    Controversies 

depending  in  the  Consistorie  Co'''  of  Chest''  concerning  Buriall  places  and  Seates  in  the  Chancell 

of  Goostree  and  a  certaine  out  lie  in  the  Southside  of  the  said  Chancell  that  all  the  Persons 

therein  concerned  shall  abide  and  stand  vnto  the  arbiterm'  and  doome  of  the  sayd  Peter  Daniel, 

whoe  for  th'ending  of  all  the  said  controusies  doth  the  day  and  yeare  aboue  said  awarde  as 

•    ffollo'w*''  (that  is  to  say)  that  all  Suites  in  Law  concerning  the  p''mises  shall  cease. 

Item  :   That  it  shalbe  lawtt  for  the  said  Henry  Manwaring  or  his  heires  to  build  out  lie  or  lies  on  the 

Northside  of  the  said  Chancell  allowing  libertie  to  the  said  John  Eaton  to  builde  soe  farr  as 

shalbe  allowed  him  by  the  sayd  Peter  Daniel:  And  that  the  said  Tho:  Baskervile  and  Jo:  Kinsey 

shall  bee  at  lib'tie  and  thier  heires  to  build  an  lie  on  yf^  Southside  of  the  said  Chancell  w"'out  y'' 

disturbance  of  any  of  the  psons  before  named  their  heires  or  tents. 

Item  That  the  said  Jo  :  Booth  shall  have  for  burial  and  seates  that  South  Ile  w"^''  is  alredie  erected  on 

the  South  Side  of  the  Chancell  w"'out  the  disturbance  of  any  of  the  said  psons   their  heires  or 

tenents.    And  y'  the  Ile  w"^''  the  said  Jo :  Booth  now  hath,  shall  for  ever  here  after  be  repaired  & 

mayntained  at  the  pp  [proper]  charges  of  the  sayd  Jo  :  Booth  &  his  heires,  and  that  for  the  rest 

of  the  said  lies  w"''  shalbe  erected,  shall  for  ever  after  bee  mainetained  by  such   psons,  &  their 

heires  as  shall  erect  the  same. 

Item     That  all  the  said  psons  and  tenents  and  y''  servants  shall  pay  for  everie  buriall  w"'in  the  bodey 

of  the  church  to  bee  buried  three  shillings  foure  pence  to  the  Churchwarden. 

■^  Inquisition  as  to  the  nges  of  Elizabeth  and  Agnes  Ward  of  Someiford,  taken  at  Chester,  6  Henry  IV.  1405.  (Che>hire 
Inquisitions,  Record  Office). 

'  Harl.  MS.  2151.  To  this  has  been  subsequently  added  a  note  of  an  escutcheon  to  John  Kinsey,  of  Blackden,  1665,  and 
copies  of  two  inscriptions  to  the  Baskervyle  family  {see  p.  232). 

^  Taken  from  the  contemporary  copy  entered  in  the  earliest  volume  of  the  Goostrey  Churchwardens"  Accounts.  Another 
copy  of  this  agreement  is  preserved  amongst  Major  Egerton  Leigh's  Twemlow  papers. 

2    G    2 


SANDBACH. 


Item     That  the  Chancell  shalbee  onely  ffree  for  the  gent  afforsaid;  and  the  ffree  houlders  w"'in  the 

said  Chancell  paying  for  every  buriall  there  ffive  shillings  to  the  Churchwarden. 
Item     That  the   said   Hen :  Manwaring  and  his  heires  shall  haue  th'  one   halfe   of  the  Chancell 

admitting  the  ffreeholde''  Barneshaw  w"'in  his  halfe  pt  of  y"  Chancell  afforsd  for  buriall  he  the 

said  Henry  and  his  heires  and  the  said  Barneshaw  and  his  heires  paying  for  every  Buriall  in  the 

said  Chancell — 5*^. 
IteJ      That  the  residue  of  the  gent  and  ffree-holders  shall  have  th'  other  halfe  of  the  said  Chancell 

ffree  for  buriall  to  them  and  their  heires  paying  for  every  buriall  y'' — 5". 
Ite-      That  the  three  new  Seates  in  y'  Chancell  shalbee  removed,  and  th'  old  Quire  sett  in  th'  ancient 

place  againe. 
Itc-      If  any  controversie  doe  or  shall  happen  to  arise  herafter  touching  the  p''mises  the  psons  before 

named  are  agreed  to  referr  the  same  to  bee  ended  by  the  set  Peter  Daniel. 

The  gent  and  ffreehold''*  whose  names  are  herevnto  subscribed  doe  ratifie  and  conferme 
this  awarde  afforsd  made  in  the  life  tyme  of  Peter  Daniell  Wittnesse  the''  hands  hervnto  put 
HiiN  :  M.\Nw.\RiNGE.     Jo:  [5/?  for  Tho]  Baskervile.     Jo:  Booth.     Jo:  Kinsey.     Jo:  Eaton. 

A  few  years  later  the  following  agreement  was  made,  granting  permission  to  Edmund 
Jodreli,  of  Yeardslcy  and  Twemlow,  Esq.,  to  erect  an  "  out-ile  "  or  small  chapel  on  the  south 
side  of  the  church.  This  agreement,  which  is  preserved  in  the  Bishop's  Registry  at  Chester,  is 
as  follows  : — 

Aprill  y"'  4,  1667. 

Wee  y"  Gentlemen  inhabitants  of  y'  Chappelry  of  Goostrey  cum  Barnshaw  within  y'  County  of  Chester 
I'.sq''^  &  others  who  conceive  our  selves  to  have  y'"  cheife  priviledge  &  intrest  in  y"  Chappell  &  Chappell 
yard  of  Goostrey  aforesaid  whose  names  are  hereunto  subscribed  Do  for  our  selves  our  heires  &  suc- 
cessors by  these  p''sents  Give  &  grant  full  &  free  leave  &  liberty  to  Edmund  Jodreli  of  Twemlow 
inhabitant  in  y''  said  Chappelry  &  County  afforesd  Esq''  to  erect  an  out-ile  on  y"  South-side  of  y''  said 
Chappell  from  y''  poarch  Eastward  to  y"  lower  end  of  y*  He  of  John  Booth  Ge"'  &  in  breadth  southward 
three  yards  for  y'  use  of  himself  his  heirs  &  successors  for  ever  to  erect  seats  to  sitt  in  to  hear  divine 
service  &  sermon  &  to  bury  his  dead  in  at  pleasure  as  also  to  inlarge  his  seat  belonging  to  him  in  y' 
Chancell  of  y"  said  Chappell  one  yard  or  more  towards  y"  north  dore  &  to  make  y'  same  seat  one  half  yard 
wider  &  that  neither  wee  our  heirs  nor  successors  nor  any  other  pson  or  psons  in  our  behalfe  shall  not  at 
any  time  bury  any  dead  within  y"  said  He  so  erected  nor  clame  any  priviledge  thereunto  Wittness  our 
hands  &  seales  hereunto  put  y'  day  &  year  first  above  written. 

(S/^^Nc'i/)         Henry  Manwaring. 
Sealed  &  delivered  in  Tho  :  Baskervvle. 

p'sence  of  John  Booth. 

(Si:;/h-cf)         4  Hex  :  2  :  Birkhened  67  John  Kinsey. 

Tun  :  Addendrooke  [Rector  of  Swettenham]. 

Sa  :    S.MALWOOD. 

In  171 1  the  tiien  owner  of  Ycardslcy  and  Twemlow,  Edmund  Jodreli,  Esq.,  had  permission 
to  erect  another  "  out-ile  "  or  small  chapel  on  the  south  side,  or  possibly  to  enlarge  the  one 
erected  in  1667,  as  shown  by  the  following  agreement,  also  preserved  in  the  Bishop's  Registry^ 
at  Chester  : '' — 

Septemb''  y°  12"'  i  7  1 1. 

Wee  whose  Names  are  hereunto  Subscribed  do  give  our  free  Consent  for  M''  Jodreli  of  Yeardsley  to 

''  IJisliDp  Gastrell  in  his  Xotitia  Catyicmis  states  that  at  this  lime  ".similar  leave  was  granted  to  Baskervyle  and 
Kinsey  "  Init  their  agreements  have  not  liecn  found.  The  "  out-isle  "  now  built  is  described  in  the  licence  granted  'by  Dr. 
Thomas  Wainwriyht  as  follows: — "  in  length  from  the  porch  eastward  to  the  lower  end  of  the  isle  of  Lawrence  Booth 
gentleman  and  in  breadth  .southwards  3  yards,  lor  a  burial  place  for  himself  and  successors  and  for  seats  to  be  built  therein 
for  ihem  and  iheir  families  to  stand,  sit,  kneel,  and  hear  divine  service  and  sermons  in." 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOOSTREY.  229 


build  an   He  to  y"^  South-Side  of  Goostry-Chappel  from  y'^  lower  end  of  Capt  :  Booths  He  to  y^^  Church- 
porch. 

{Signed)         Roger  Manwaring.  Thomas  Swettenham. 

John  Baskervyle.  Lau  :  Boothe. 

Tho  :  KiNSEY.  John  Amson. 

John  Whishaw.  Ed'"'.  Vernon. 

Tho  :  Welles,  Vicar 

of  Sandbach.  r  Chapell 

Tho  :  Whittakers.  ^^-  "^lford  J  ^^^^^^^^ 

Thomas  fforster. 

From  the  extracts  from  the  Churchwardens'  Accounts,  subsequently  quoted,  the  various 
repairs  which  this  little  chapel  underwent  from  time  to  time  can  be  seen.  In  1792  the  old  chapel 
then  existing  was  pulled  down,  and  the  present  edifice  erected.'  This  is  a  plain  oblong  building 
built  of  brick,  with  a  brick  tower  at  the  west  end,  and  three  round-headed  windows  on  either 
side  of  the  nave,  and  a  small  chancel  at  the  east  end.  The  Rev.  W.  H.  Massie,  who  was  incumbent 
here  for  some  years,  writing  in  1S54,  says  of  it,J  "  my  old  cure  at  Goostrey  had  a  'black  and 
white '  chapel,  which  at  the  least  interesting  era  in  the  history  of  national  architecture  was  sup- 
planted at  a  cost  of  _£'I700  [raised]  by  rate[s]  for  a  brick  nave  and  tower  from  a  design  by  the 
village  bricksetter,  with  flat  ceiling  adorned  with  a  pretty  circle  of  red  and  green  christmas  in 
the  centre  and  four  substantial  milestones  at  each  angle  of  the  square  steeple,  wherein  three  bells 
rang  to  the  tune  of '  Three  blind  mice '  on  many  a  happy  occasion,  as  I  hope  they  do  still.  On 
inquiry  I  found  that  the  bitter  cold  of  the  thin  walls  had  determined  their  abandonment."  "^ 
Since  then,  in  1S76,  the  church  was  restored  and  much  improved  internally. 

The  churchyard  stands  on  raised  ground  somewhat  of  the  shape  of  a  parallelogram,  washed 
on  one  side  by  a  small  brook.  This,  Dr.  Ormerod  conjectures  to  have  been  the  site  of  the  old 
monastic  manor  house  of  Goostrey  (see  p.  252). 

A  school  appears  to  have  existed  in  connexion  with  the  church  from  the  seventeenth  century 
if  not  earlier.  It  is  mentioned  in  the  churchwardens'  accounts  for  1640,  and  in  subsequent  years. 
In  1685,  as  stated  on  her  tombstone  {see  p.  234),  Elizabeth  Haslehurst,  late  of  Goostrey-cum- 
Barnshaw,  gave  the  then  large  sum  of  ;^200  for  "  a  free  school  to  the  Chapelry  of  Goostrey." 
She  died  3rd  Jan.,  1684 [-5].  This  sum,  according  to  the  Charity  Commissioners'  return,  had 
become  reduced  by  having  been  placed  out  on  bad  security,  and  in  1836  ^  144  only  remained. 
Mr.  Jonathan  Harding  was  then  schoolmaster,  and  ^i  scholars  attended  the  school. 

Z\}t  (STommumon  ^3Iate  anb  33fll5. 

The  flagon  bears  the  following  inscription  :  — 

Randle  Armstrong  gave  twenty  pounds  towards  the  purchase  of  this  Flagon  and  a  chalice  for  the  use 
of  Goostrey  Chapel,  1759. 

There  is  no  inscription  on  the  chalice. 

'  It  is  stated  on  p.  392  of  Vulume  I.  oi  ihe  Journal  of  tlie  Chester  Archizolos^cal  and  Historic  Society,  th.it  in  1S57,  "there 
are  those  yet  living  who  remember  the  pretty  little  fabric  of  timber  in  which  65  years  ago  the  churchmen  of  Goostrey  were  wont 
to  assemble,"  but  they  must  have  been  ver)-  young  at  the  time. 

'  Chester  Arch.-eological  and  Historic  .Society's yi?«r«a/,  vol.  i.  p.  302. 

^  Lithographic  views  of  "  Goostrey  Chapel  and  Parsonage"  and  of  "  Goostrey  Parsonage  "  in  1S57  will  be  found  in  the 
first  volume  of  ihe  Journal  of  the  Chester  Archuologtcal  and  Historic  Society. 


230 


SANDBACH. 


On  the  paten  in  addition  to  the  Hall  mark  on  the  face  of  the  plate,  there  are  underneath 
two  letters,  D  ■:=  I,  standing  for  Mrs.  Dorothy  Jodrell,  who  gave  it  in  1719. 

There  are  five  bells  now  in  the  tower,  bearing  the  following  inscriptions  :' — 

1.  IKSVS  BE  OVR  spEEii   1616.     This  IS  in  rather  peculiar  lettering. 

2.  GOD    SAVF.    HIS    CHVKCH     I705.  |   G.    S.    |  PETER    KINSEV    JOHN    LOWE    CH VRCHW.VRDENS. 

3.  This  has  no  inscription,  but  the  following  marks  : — w.  a  fleur  de  lis,  a  lion  passant,  and 

another  mark. 

4.  MEARS  &  STAINBANK  FOUNDERS  LONDON.    lS6g.       GIVEN    BY    ANNA    MARIA   TOLER    IN    MEMORY 

OF    MRS.    THOMAS    HILDITCH. 

5.  Same  as  No.  4. 

€l)r  iBomnnfiUal  Jriiernptionei  in  tl)f  COiircI)  anti  Cburrbynrli. 

The  following  are  the  monumental   inscriptions  in  the  church   and  the  most  important  of 
those  in  the  churchvard  : — 


On  a  white  marble  tablet  at  the  east  end  of 
the  north  aisle.  Above  is  a  coat  of  arms,  not 
now  decipherable  : — 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of 

John  Glegg  Esq'' 

of  Old  Withington  Hall, 

who  died  24*''  January  1S22 

aged  80. 
And  to  Mary  his  daughter, 
who  died  30"'  August  180S. 

Aged  28. 

Both  of  whom  are  interred 

in  the  Vault  beneath. 


On  a  white  marble  mural  tablet  in  the  north 

aisle.    Above  is  a  coat  of  arms,  Kinsey,  quartering 

Davenport,  Birtles,  and   Eaton  ;   with  the  Kinsey 

crest. 

Sacred  to  the  Memory  of 

Thomas  Kinsey,  Esq''^' 

of  Blackden  who  died  24"'  Jan-^'  1814  Aged  79. 

Also  of  Isabella  his  AVife 

who  died  3"'  Nov''  1S09  Aged  68. 

Likewise  of  Ann  Alcock  Sister  of  the  above 

Thomas  Kinsey  Esq"'  who  died  6"'  Dec''  181 6 

Aged  75. 

All  of  whom  are  interred  in  the  Family  ^'ault 

beneath  this  place.  „  ,.  ,',        77  ,  ,     r 

On  a  white  marble  tablet  at  the  east  end  of 

the  north  aisle.     Above  is  a  shield  of  arms,  Basker- 

vyle,  with  Glegg  on  a  shield  of  pretence,  and  the 

crest  of  Baskervyle  : — 

Sacred 

to  the  memory  of 

John  Glegg 

late  John  Baskervyle  Esq 

of  Old  Withington 

who  departed  this  life 

the  10"'  January  1784; 

aged  78  years. 

Also  of  Mary,  his  wife 

the  daughter,  and  heiress  of 

Robert  (iiegg  Esq. 

of  Ciayton  : 

'  Fur  co|)ies  of  tlie  insciiiHions  on  the  liclls,  .is  well  as  thosu  on  the  Communion  Plate,  I  am  indebted  to  the  Rev.  II.  G. 
I'.arnacle,  \'iLar  of  Holmes  Chapel.  As  ajipears  by  the  Churchwardens'  Accounts,  the  second  bell  was  cast  at  Congleton  by 
Cijbriel  Smith  in  1705. 


On  a  white  marble  mural  tablet  in  the  north 

aisle.     Above  is  a  coat  of  arms  Arden  (Ermine  a 

fess    chequey   Azure    and   Or)    imiialing    Kinsey; 

crest  on  a  cap  of  maintenance  a  wild  boar  : — 

Sacred 

To  the  Memory  of 

Mary  Anne,  wife  of 

James  Arden  Esij''"' 

youngest  daughter  of  the  late 

Thomas  Kinsey  Esq"'  and  of  Isabella  his  wife. 

who  died  January  9"'  1832. 

.\lso  of 

Fiances  Kinsey,  sister  of  the  above 

Mary  Anne  Arden 

who  departed  this  life  Nov''  27"'  1S59. 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOOSTREY. 


She  departed  this  life 

the  2 1 5'  February,  1784  ; 

aged  72  years. 


On  a  small  brass  plate  on  the  floor  of  the 
south  aisle : — 

Underneath  was  interr'd 

Thomas  Baskervyle  of 

Withington  Esq''  11"'  Dec''  1676. 

Mary  Baskervyle  widdow 

of  John  Baskervyle  Esq'' 

his  Son,  and  Daughter  of 

Edmund  Jodrell  Esq'', 

was  interr'd  here  17"'  Feb''>'  1758  Aged  90. 

On  a  plain  black  marble  tablet  on  the  south 
wall  : — 

In  the  Family  Vault  near  to  this  Tablet 

are  deposited  the  Remains  of 

Thomas  Booth  Esq'' 

of  Twemlow  Hall  in  this  Chapelry, 

who  died  August  23''''  1786 

aged  92  Years. 

There  are  also  deposited  in  the  same  vault 

the  Remains  of  his  Nephew  and  Heir, 

the  Reverend  Charles  Booth  of  Twemlow  Hall, 

who  departed  this  Life  March  the  7"'  1792 

aged  67  Years. 


On  a  large  white  marble  tablet  on  the  south 

wall,   surmounted   by  an   urn,   above   which   is   a 

shield  of  four  quarterings  with  crest.     Below  these 

an  anchor  and  other  nautical  emblems  : — 

In  a  Vault  underneath  this  Tablet,  are  deposited 

the  Remains 

of  Walter  Booth  Esq'' 

a  Senior  Post  Captain  in  the  Royal  Navy  ; 

He  died  the  21='  of  March  18 10,  aged  60  Years. 

He  was  the  eldest  Son  of  Ralph  Griffiths  of 

Caer  Rhyn 

in  the  County  of  Carnarvon  Esq'', 

by  Mary,  Daughter  of  the  Rev'^  Charles  Everard 

and  Niece  of 

the  late  Thomas  Booth,  of  Twemlow  Hall,  Esq''. 

Having  in  Compliance  with  the  will  of  his 

maternal  Great  Uncle, 

the  last  Male  Heir  of  that  ancient  Family, 

assumed  the  Name  of  Booth. 


Also  the  Remains  of  Anne  Parry,  eldest  Sister  of 

the  above  Walter  Booth  and  Relict  of  the 

Rev''  Owen  Parry 

of  Perseddgoed  in  the  County  of  Carnarvon. 

She  died  the  5"'  of  May  1797,  aged  41  Years. 

On  a  black  marble  mural  slab  bearing  a  plain 
white  cross,  on  the  north  wall  : — 

In  blessed  memory  of 

Lawrence  Armitstead 

of  Cranage 

Born  November  16*''  1790. 

Died  October  31='  1874. 


On  a  gravestone  on  the  tloor  of  the  south  aisle, 
below  a  shield  of  arms.  Booth  impaling  Legh  of 
Adlington  (?),  and  the  crest  of  Booth  :  — 

[Lawr]  ance  Boothe  Esq.  died  July 
28  1 73 1  .\ged  66. 

On  a  gravestone  at  the  west  end  near  the  font, 
in  capitals  : — 

Here  Lyeth 

the  body  of 

John  Amson 

of  Hindheath 

son  of  John  Amson 

late  of  Leighs  was 

interred  June  y'^'  i*' 

Aho  Doin  16S5 

Here  also  lieth  the  Body 

of  Eliz.  y"  ^V'ife  of  John 

Amson  who  died  May 

the  6"'  I  76 1  Aged  54. 

Within  the  Communion  rails  is  a  gravestone 
with  the  following  inscription,  in  fine  bold  capitals 
•(see  p.  237)  :— 

M  a  r  y      the 

wife     of     Mr. 

John      AVorth 

ington        min 

ister    of    Goo 

s  t  r  e  e      was 

buried        Mai 

16"  An":  1661. 


232 


SANDBACH. 


On  a  gravestone  now  on  the  floor  of  the  Vestry, 
in  capitals  : — 

Here  Lyeth 

the  body  of 

Hugh  Amson 

of  Leighs  w'''"  was 

interred  March  y' 

6""  Ano  Dom  1688. 

Vita  Mortalium  Brevis 

Also  Ann  Chamber 

who  Died  Dec''  y'  t,'^ 

1 741  Aged  29  years. 


Near  the  south  door,  on  a  small  brass  plate : — 

Here  lieth  ye  body  of 

Tho'  Jodrell 

youngest  son  of 

Edmund  Jodrell 

of  Twemlow  Esq'' 

Interr''  May  16  1742. 


On    a    tombstone 
church  : — 


at    the    west    end   of    the 


Here  lieth  the 

Body  of  John 

Morris  who  died 

Feb''  the  15"'  1763. 

Aged  47. 


Dr.  Ormerod,  in  his  Histoiy  of  Cheshire 
the  arms  of  Mainwaring,  of  Kermincham  (t\v 
(a  wyvern  statant),  and  on  it  these  verses  :— 

TJnder  this  piece  of  marble  square, 
Interred  lies  a  matron  rare, 
Sprung  from  ancient  house  of  name 
Leave  arms,  her  acts  declare  y''  same. 
Her  zeale  to  God  and  love  was  such. 
She  could  not  serve  him  over  much  ; 
Her  husband,  children,  servants  all 
She  did  e.xhort  on  God  to  call. 
Her  handes  the  needle  did  relieve, 
■W"^''  makes  poore  hungrey  soules  to  grieve, 
"When  they  passe  by  y'  well  knowne  gate, 
Where  they  were  fed  and  clad  of  late. 
Neighbours,  tenants,  all  make  mone 
So  firme  a  friende  from  them  is  gone. 
But  heaven's  glad,  and  angells  joy  in  this. 
That  Sarah  now  in  Abram's  bossom  is. 


Dr.  Ormerod  also  describes  two  old  wooden  tablets  suspended  in  the  vestry  in  1S19,  the 
first  of  which,  I  fear,  is  now  lost.  The  inscriptions  (copied  also  in  Marl.  MS.  2,151,  with  a 
rou"h  sketch  of  the  arms),  were  as  follows  : — 


',  published  in  1S19,  describes  a  large  flagstone  with 
o  bars,  a  label  of  three  points)  impaling  Ashenhurst 

On  a  blue  piece  of  marble  let  into  this  stone 
was  a  mutilated  inscription,  intended  to  preserve 
the  name  of  the  lady  commemorated,  as  follows  : — 

Here  lie  the  remains  of  Sarah 

wife  of  Roger  Mainwaring 

and  daughter  of  Randle 

Ashenhurst  of  Ashenhurst 

in  the  countic  of  Derby  [sic  for  county  of  Staftbrd]. 

She  was  buried  15'''  of  Februarie  1653. 


This  stone  is  now  used  as  the  stone  on  which 
the  inner  south  door  swings,  and  is  still  fairly 
legible. 


John  Baskervyle  of  Old  \\'ithington 

in  the  county  palatyne  of  Chester 

who  took  to  wife  Magdaline,  daugh''  to  George 

Hope 

of  Queens  Hope,  in  the  county  of  Flint,  esq. 

He  had  issue  si.x  sons,  viz  George,  who  died  in  his 

minority,  Thomas,  Laurence,  Randle,  John  and 

Henry  ; 


and  six  daughters,  viz  Rebecca,  Elizabeth, 
Magdaline, 
deceased  ;  Katherine,  ALary  and  Elizabeth  surviving. 
He  died  y"  sixteenth  day  of  February  anno  Domini 
.MDCLXii  and  about  the  sixty-third  yeere  of  his  age. 
The  arms  were  Baskervyle  quartering  Kinsey 
(.Vrgent  a  chevron  Gules  between  three  squirrels 
sejant  of  the  second),  and  impaling  Hope  (Argent 


THE    CHURCH    OF   GOOSTREY. 


233 


a  chevron  engrailed   Sable  between  three    storks 
Sable,  legged  Gules),  and  the  crests  of  Baskervyle 
and  Hope,  the  latter  a  stork  as  in  the  arms. 
On  the  other  tablet : — 

Here  Lyeth  y>=  body  of  Magdalen,  daughter  of 

George  Hope  of  Dodleston,  in  y«  county  Palatyne 

of  Chester  Esq'  the  relict  of  John  Baskervile 

of  Old  Withington  in  the  said  county 

Palatyne  of  Chester,  Esq''  by  whom 

she  had  yssue  several  sonnes 


and  daughters  ;  she  dyed  the 

xix"'  day  of  April  in  the  yeare  1670, 

aged  66  years. 

Arms  :    Hope  in   a  lozenge   with    nine    [eight] 

quarterings  [which  in  Harl.  MS.  2,151   are  given 

as  :    I  Paris,  2  Knight,    3 4  Tudor  Trevor, 

5  Vachfras  (?),  6 7 S ]  and  in 

the  corners  the  shields  and  crests  of  Baskervyle 
and  Hope. 


The  following  inscriptions  are  in  various  parts  of  the  churchyard 


Here  lyeth  interred  the 

Body  of  Daniel  Harison  of 

Crookes  Gentleman  who 

dyed  the  15  day  of  December 

1696  in  the  64  year  of  his  age. 

Also  Anne  Wife  of  Daniel  Harison 

was  here  Interred  Novem.  ye  19.  17 18 

Aged  82. 


Here 

lieth  interr'd  the  Body  of  Sarah 

Wife  to  Randle  Armstrong  of  Marton 

who  departed  this  Life  the  26"'  day  of 

January  17 11. 

To  the  Memory  of  Randle  Armstrong 

who  died  the  24*''  day  of  January  1765 

in  the  90"'  year  of  his  Age  :  whose 

Bounty  to  this  Chappelry  and  his 

Charity  to  the  Poor  is  well  known. 

Mary  second  Wife  to  the  above  said 

Randle  Armstrong  who  died  the  13"'  of 

March  1758.      Aged  83. 

Here  Lyeth  the  Body  of 

Edward  Vernon  Second 

Son  to  William  Vernon  of 

Audley  in  the  County  of 

Stafford  Gentleman  died  at 

Twemlow  in  the  70"'  year  of 

his  Age  Jan'J'  7.  1772. 


Here 
Lieth  the  Body  of  Ann  Vernon 

Wife  of  Edward  Vernon  late 

of  Twemlow  who  died  October 

the  31*'  1747  in  the  89"'  year  of 

her  Age. 


Here  lieth  the  Body 

of  Hannah  Wife  of 

John  Lowe  of  Leighs 

who  was  Interred 

February  y'  27  1741 

Aged  76  years. 


Underneath 

lie  the  Remains  of  the 

Rev"^  TH0M.A.S  Burroughs  A.M. 

Rector  of  Pulford 

and  Curate  of  this  Chapelry 

who  departed  this  Life, 

the  4"'  Day  of  April  1S09 

aged  73  years. 


John  Coppock  of 

Church  hulme  Buryed 

ye  8'^'  of  Septemb"'  1730. 

Lett  Vertue  Spring  &  Vice  decay 

then  god  wold  turn  his  wrath  away. 

Heare  Lyeth  The  Body  of 

William  Haslehurst  of  Bre 

reton  Who  Gaue  the  Remaind 

er  of  A  Lease  of  one  and  Tw 

enty  years  after  the  Decease 

of  his  Sister  to  the  poore  of 

Goostre  Chappel  and  De 

parted  this  Life  the  Twelfth 

Day  of  May  Anno  Domini 

1681. 


234 


SANDBACH. 


Here  lieth  interred 

the  Body  of  Elizabeth 

Haslehurst  late  of 

Goostrey  cum  Barnshaw 

who  gave  the  Sum  of 

Two  Hundred  Pounds 

for  A  Free  School  to 

the  Chapelry  of 

Goostrey.     And  departed 

this  Life  January  3"'i 

Anno  Domini 

16S4. 


In  Most  Loving  Memory  of 

Norman  Bond  Yonge  B.A. 

Born  November  16*''  1S29. 

Died  April  19"'  1S72. 

His  Hope  was  in  Christ. 


In  Loving  Remembrance 

of 

John  Baskervyle  Glegg 

of  Withington  &  Gayton  Hall,  Cheshire. 

Born  May  29"'  1S44.     Died  May  15.  1S77. 


On  a  large  gravestone  on  the  South  side  : — 

Sacred  to  the  Memory  of 

Francis  Jodrell  of  Twemlow  Esq' 

interred  January  16"'  1757. 

Also  to  the  Memory  of  H.\nn.ah  his  first  wife 

interred  July  the  22.  1727. 

Also  to  the  Memory  of  Margaret  their  Daughter 

interred  December  the  27"'  1749. 

Also  to  the  Memory  of  Elizabeth  their  Daughter 

interred  December  the  30"'  1749. 

Also  to  the  Memory  of  Mary  his  second  wife 

interred  April  the  11"'  1753. 

Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord. 

Here  Lyeth  the  body 

of  Sarah  late  wyfe 

of  Peter  Kinsey  of 

Sharcraft  who  departed 

this  life  february  14.  170 — 

Here  Lyeth  the  Body  of 

Peter  Kinsey  late  of 

Barnshaw  cu  Goostrey  who 

Dyed  August  the  27.  1730 

Aged  63. 


€Jk  I-nnnnbrnts  of  eoostrrp,  1548  to  1888. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  Curates  or  Incumbents  at  Goostrey,  probably  as  perfect  as 
can  now  be  made,  drawn  up  from  \arious  sources,  the  Registers,  Churchwardens'  Accounts, 
Records  at  Chester,  &c.  &c.  Although,  as  already  pointed  out,  the  church  at  Goostrey  is  one  of 
ver\'  early  date,  bc)-ond  a  reference  to  "  Abel  chaplain  of  Goostrc"  in  an  early  deed  c.  1220"  and 
the  others  mentioned  on  p.  226,  the  names  of  those  who  officiated  here  are  at  present  unknown 
till  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Among  the  Jodrell  deeds  is  one  dated  1st  May,  1548, 
in  which  '"James  Brook  of  Goostrey  chaplain  "  is  mentioned,  and  this  is  evidcntl\-  the  same 
person  as  "  Sir  James  Broke  chapleyn"  who  was  appointed  by  Ellen  Jodrell  one  of  the  executors 
of  her  will,  dated  iSth  April,  1548.''  In  1564  "James  IVhytacres  clerk"  was  a  witness  to  a  deed 
relating  to  Twemlow,  and  \\as  then  probably  serving  the  cure  of  Goostrey.  In  1576  "Alexander 
Button  curate"  was  a  witness  to  a  Twemlow  deed,  as  was  "Thomas  Wnyuewright  minister"  in  15SS. 

In  1591  there  is  mention  in  the  register  oi  John  Kelt,  curate,  and  his  name  occurs  in  1592, 
1595,  and  1596, '■  and  also  in  1601.''  But  between  these  A3.ies  John  Stathom  occurs  on  Feb.  6, 
1594-5,  'IS  "chaplain  of  Goostrce  Chapel,"  on  which  day  he  appeared  in  the  Consistory  Court 


"  Iltiii.  MS.  2,131,  f.  130.     Deeds  in  possession  of  Mr.  Ampson,  of  Middlewicli. 
''  James  Bruok  was  at  Goostrey  in  1546.     (Mr.  Piccopc's  Notes  from  the  Cliester  Records.) 

^'  In  the  Inq. p.  tn.  of  John   Khisey,  of  Blackden,  dated  1597,  he  is  mentioned  as  party  to  a  deed  dated  20  Feb.  1 591-2. 
lie  alMi  occurb  as  a  witness  to  two  Kinsey  wills  in  1595  and  1596. 

"  Mr.  Piccope's  notes  from  the  Consistory  Court  Records  at  Chester. 


THE    CHURCH    OF   GOOSTREY. 


235 


at  Chester,  in  reference  to  some  complaints,  made  by  the  Chapel  wardens,  who  stated  that  "  he 
had  not  kept  the  Font  and  other  necessary  things  in  the  church  clean,"  to  which  he  replied 
"  that  the  Font  hath  holes  in  the  covering  and  will  not  be  kept  clean  and  that  unto  the  other 
things  he  promiseth  ecclesiastical  obedience."  In  161 1  the  name  of  Tlwuias  Wood,  "minister," 
occurs  in  the  Register,"  and  those  of  Thomas  Carter  in  i6i'^,Jo/iJi  Bozvcn  in  16 16,''  3.ndi  Joseph 
Beck,"  "clerk,"  in  1617.  From  1622  to  1626,  if  not  later,  Ru'hard  Ln/o^ard  appears  to  have  been 
at  Goostrey,  but  his  name  has  not  been  met  with  in  the  Register.*"  In  1634  Mr.  Tudman,  the 
Vicar  of  Sandbach,  presented  at  the  visitation  held  at  Middlewich  on  Sept.  9,  that  "  Jl//-. 
Williajn  Hoiilt  minister  at  Goostrey  Chapel  had  not  read  divine  service  upon  holidaies."  It 
was  stated  that  he  was  then  at  St.  Ellen's  Chapel,  in  Prescot. 

In  1645  Zaclicry  Croftoii,  a  notable  Puritan  writer,  preached  many  sermons  at  Goostrej-, 
where  he  was  not  improbably  settled  for  a  time.  In  1647  he  was  at  Newcastle,  in  Staffordshire.' 
On  March  15,  1647-8,  it  was  enacted  that  "  Laurence  Winnington  of  the  Armitage  [Hermitage] 
CO.  Chester  Esq''  was  to  settle  £^0  per  annum  for  ever  on  the  minister  that  shall  officiate  at 
the  Chappell  of  Goostree,  for  which  his  whole  fine  of  ^411  is  remitted."J  The  next  Curate 
whose  name  has  occurred  is  George  Eceles,  who  died  in  1648,  and  administration  to  whose 
effects  was  granted  at  Chester  on  Sept.  26  in  that  year,  the  administration  bond  being  endorsed 
as  being  that  of  "  George  Eceles  clerk  of  Goostree."  On  Nov.  23  following  the  celebrated 
Henry  Neiveonie  came  to  Goostre}-,  as  he  thus  records  in  '\\\'i  Autobiography : — "I  came  to 
Goostree  with  my  family  Nov.  23  1648  and  lived  in  some  rooms  in  Francis  Hobsons  near  the 
Chapel  half  a  year  and  thence  we  removed  to  Kermincham,"  where  Col.  Henry  Mainwaring, 
of  Kermincham,  "  my  wifes  near  kinsman  "  when  "  I  wanted  a  convenient  house  appointed  me 
some  rooms  in  his  own  house  at  Kermincham  and  was  a  very  loving  friend  to  me."  Newcome 
signs  the  entry  of  baptism  of  Roger,  the  son  of  Roger  Manwaring,  of  Barnshaw,  Esq.,  on 
the  26th  Jan.,  1648-9,  and  his  signature  occurs  several  times  in  the  Register.  At  the  end  of 
the  first  volume  is  this  memorandum  in  his  handwriting  : — 

M''.  That  all  within  the  chapplery  of  Goosetree  in  the  five  townships  of  Barneshaw,  Goosetree, 
Blagkden,  Twenilow,  and  the  Lees  did  unanimously  agree  and  consent  to  the  chooseinge  of  M''  Henry 
Newcome  minister  there  and  did  all  unanimously  thereto  set  their  handes  ;  who  began  his  ministry  there 
October  7"'  164S  [&  ended  it  March  17  1649  [-50]  (this  in  another  hand)]. 

Newcome  records  in  his  Autobiography  : — "  I  had  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  whole 
chapelry  testified  under  their  hands  and  there  I  preached  a  year  and  a  half"  He  signed  the 
Cheshire  Attestation  in  1648  as  "  minister  at  Goosetree,"  being  the  last  in  the  list.  From 
Kermincham  Hall,  about  four  or  five  miles  from  Goostrey,  Newcome  states,  "  I  went  every 
Lord's  Day  in  the  morning  and  m}^  good  old  father-in-law  Mr.  Peter  Manwarcing,  on  foot  to 

"  "  1611.     Nathaniel  the  sone  of  Thomas  Wood  minister  buried  the  25"'  April.'' 

'  Mr.  Piccope's  MS.  Notes  from  the  Chester  Records. 

5  "  1617.  Josephus  fillius  Joseph!  Becke  Cleric' sepull.  4"  Maii."  A  burial  the  same  year  is  signed  "Josephus  Becke 
Cleric'. " 

'■  At  the  end  of  the  first  volume  of  the  Registers  are  these  memoranda  : — 

Preached  at  Goostree  the  ...  .  day  of  August  and  the  17  of  August  Richard  Complon,  Lycensed  by  the  Bishop  of 
Sada  man  {sic  for  Sodor  and  Man)  '634. 

Preached  at  Goostree  the  7  of  December  M'  Edmund  Binh  made  deacon  by  the  Bishop  of  Man.      1634. 

i  See  "  Tlte  Saints  Care  for  C/iurc/i  Comtniinion,"  by  Zach.  Crofton,  1671.     The  Address  to  the  Reader. 

J  Impropriations  Purchased,  Si.<i.  London,  164S.  4to.  See  also  p.  236.  There  are  two  references  to  this  matter  in 
"The  Plundered  Ministers' Accounts  "  in  164S,  now  in  the  Bodleian  Library,  Oxford.  The  sum  at  first  was  /ji  a  year 
subsequently  raised  to  ;^40.  '  ' 

2    U    2 


236  SANDBACH. 


Goosctrcc  and  cjot  thither  in  time  and  preached  twice  a  day  and  was  well  able  to  do  it  being 
then  in  m\-  youth  and  strength."  He  visited  Cambridge  in  1649,  and  on  his  return  he  records, 
"  I  attempted  to  set  up  the  sacrament  of  the  Lords  Supper  [at  Goostrey]  and  though  I  was 
raw  and  ignorant  in  those  affairs  yet  the  Lord  did  wonderfully  direct  me  and  overrule  that 
whole  affair  that  I  administered  the  sacrament  to  none  that  were  not  competently  knowing  or 
that  was  known  to  be  scandalous.  Nay  at  very  first  we  kept  off  Captain  Baskervyle  [of  Old 
Withington] ''  for  his  frequent  drinking  and  Mr.  Kinsey'we  excepted  against  on  the  same 
account  ....  This  sacrament  was  October  18"'  1649."'" 

The  following  entries  from  "  The  Plundered  Ministers'  Accounts  "  now  in  the  Bodleian 
Library,  Oxford,  have  reference  to  Newcome's  stipend  at  this  time  : — 

March  i"  i649-[5o]. 

Whereas  the  Committee  haue  the  4"'  of  June  1647  graunted  the  yearely  sume  of  thirty  five  pounds 
out  of  several  Impropriate  Tithes  growing  within  the  Chappellry  of  Goostry  within  the  parish  of  Sandbach 
in  the  county  of  Chester  sequestred  from  Lawrence  Winnington  delinquent  and  the  yearlie  sume  of 
nine  pounds  out  of  severall  other  impropriate  tythes  ariseing  within  the  Townshipp  of  Leigh  within  the 
said  Chappel  of  Goostry  sequestred  from  the  lord  Brereton  delinquent  and  the  yearlie  summe  of  tenn 
pounds  out  of  the  rent  payable  out  of  certain  lands  called  Abby  lands  within  the  said  Chappelry  of  Goostry 
out  of  the  Deane  and  Chapter  of  Chester  in  the  Tenure  of  Coll.  Manwering  amounting  in  the  whole  to 
54''  per  annum  It  is  ordered  that  the  said  54''  per  annum  shall  be  from  henceforth  paid  vnto  Henry 
Newcomp.  minister  of  the  said  Chappel  togeather  with  all  arreares  thereof  which  became  due  for  and 
dureing  such  tyme  as  hee  officiated  the  cure  of  the  said  church. 

April   12*''   1650. 

Whereas  this  Committee  haue  the  4"'  of  June  1647  graunted  (inter  at)  the  sume  often  pounds  out  of 
certain  lands  called  Abby  lands  within  the  Chappelry  of  Goostry  in  the  county  of  Chester  reserued  to  the 
deane  and  Chapter  of  Chester  for  increase  of  the  maintenance  of  the  minister  of  the  Chappell  of  Goostry 
aforesaid  It  is  ordered  that  the  trustees  for  sale  of  Deane  and  Chapters  Lands  doe  and  they  are  desired 
to  issue  theire  warrants  to  the  Treasurers  for  sale  of  Deane  and  Chapters  lands  to  pay  unto  M'  Henry 
Newcombe  minister  of  the  said  chappell  or  unto  M*'  Henry  Manwaring  Esq''  to  his  use  the  sume  of  ten 
pounds  due  for  one  yeares  rent  the  29th  of  September  last. 

Newcome  had  been  married  on  the  6th  July,  164S,  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Peter 
Mainwaring  of  Smallwood,  near  Astbury,  gentleman,  and  on  the  4th  May,  1649,  he  records  in 
the  Register  at  Goostrey,  "  Rose  the  daughter  of  Henry  Newcome  minister  of  Goosctree  and 
Elizabeth  his  wife,  was  borne  April  24"'  and  was  baptized  May  4'-''  1649. "■>  He  left  Goostrey 
in  March  in  the  following  year.  "  I  parted  with  the  people  at  Goosetree  lovingly  on  March  17"' 
[1649-50].  They  were  loath  to  part  with  me  and  yet  would  not  detain  me  since  the  place  was 
not  a  competence  and  no  house  for  me  &:c.  We  had  a  sacrament  together  the  last  day  and  I 
preached  (and  took  leave)  on  the  text  Acts  xx.  7.""  He  removed  to  Ga'v'sworth  on  April  8, 
1650,  and  remained  there  for  seven  years,  when  he  went  to  Manchester.'' 

''  This  would  be  John  Iliskervyle,  of  Old  Withington,  Esquire,  theu  49  years  of  age  (see  the  pedigree  in  Eas/ 
Clu-shh-c,  vol.  ii.  p.  373). 

'  Thi.s  would  be  Jofin  Kinsey,  of  Blackden,  gent.,  who  died  in  1664,  aged  79. 

'"  Newcome's  Autobiography  (Chetham  .Society),  p.  16. 

"  "  My  first  child  a  daughter  was  bnrn  at  Kermincham  on  April  24'''  and  was  baptized  at  Goosetree  by  M'  Cope  of 
Sandbach  on  May  4"'  and  in  remembrance  of  my  mother,  grandmother  and  only  sister,  all  of  '.hat  name,  she  was  named  Rose." 
{Autobiography,  p.  13.) 

"  Newcome's  Autobiography  (Chetham  Society). 

1'  See  East  Cheshire,  vol.  ii.  pp.  590-91,  where  a  short  account  of  his  life,  &c.,  will  be  found. 


THE   CHURCH    OF   GOOSTREY.  237 

It  is  not  clear  who  succeeded  Newcome,  but  in  1653  Mr.  Tliojiias  Edge  was  appointed 
minister  of  Goostrey,  and  he  remained  here  till  1657,  when  he  succeeded  Newcome  at 
Gawsworth.  Whilst  here  he  was  married,  as  thus  entered  in  the  Register  : — "  Thomas  Ed^e 
and  Mary  Brett,  their  Banns  were  published  the  23"',  the  30""  of  December  [1655]  and  the  6"' 
of  January  [i655-6]."9  His  successor  in  1657  was  Edward  Mainivaring,  the  second  son  of 
Colonel  Henry  Mainwaring  of  Kermincham,  who  had  entered  St.  John's  College,  Cambridn-e, 
10  Sept.,  1649,  as  a  fellow-commoner.  He  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Henry  Hartstongue, 
of  Westminster,  and  in  1658  the  Goostrey  Register  records  the  baptism  of  "  Hartstounge  sonne 
to  Mr.  Edward  Manwaring  minister  at  Goostree  May  the  16"'."  He  was  subsequently  Vicar 
of  Wybunbur}',  co.  Chester,  where  he  died  in  1693. 

In  1660  Mr.  John  Buckley,  B.A.  (of  Pembroke  College,  Cambridge),  was  the  "  Minister  of 
Goostrey,"  and  as  such  was  married  to  Mary  Boyer,  at  Swettenham,  on  the  3rd  Oct.  1660.  She 
died  in  childbirth,  and  was  buried  at  Goostrey  as  "  Mary  Buckley  wife  of  John  Buckley 
preacher  of  God's  word  "  on  the  23rd  August,  1661,  her  child  Mary  being  baptised  on  the  same 
day.  On  the  i6th  March,  i66i[-2]  "Marie  the  wife  o{  John  Worthhigfon,^  minister,"  was 
buried  at  Goostrey,  and  some  one  has  added  later  "  a  scould."  Her  tombstone,  within  the 
communion  rails,  still  exists  (see  p.  231).  On  the  26x.\\  \lAy,  i66t,,'' John  Bitckley  i/n'iihtcr" 
was  buried  at  Goostrey.  It  is  stated  by  Calamy  that  he  was  ejected  from  Goostrey  in  1662, 
but  this  does  not  appear  to  be  correct.  He  is  occasionally  mentioned  by  Newcome  in 
his  Diary. 

In  1667  and  1668  the  name  o^  John  Yariuood,  minister,  occurs  in  the  Register,'*  and  from 
the  Churchwardens'  Accounts  it  appears  he  was  here  in  1670,  when  two  attempts  were  made 
to  obtain  his  stipend,  ;^5.  lOs.,  from  the  Vicar  of  Sandbach.  He  was  a  ratepayer  in  1673,  but 
not  then  the  minister  of  the  chapel.  His  father  and  mother  appear  to  have  been  Nathaniel 
and  Elizabeth  Yarwood,  of  Barnshaw,  who  were  buried  in  1672  and  1670  respectively.  See 
p.  243.  In  167 1  John  Ah'oik  was  the  minister,*  and  he  remained  at  Goostrey  till  his  death  on 
Feb.  28,  1684-5.  Jo^i^i  Barker,  his  successor,  was  here  in  1685-6,  when  the  Churchwardens 
"spent  w"'  Mr.  Barker  at  his  coming"  2s.,  and  paid  him  "  by  consent  of  y'=  gentlemen  and  y« 
rest  of  y"=  Inhabitants"  £1.  14s.  On  July  25,  1687,  Ed-niind  Hough,  Curate  of  Goostrey,  and 
Sara  Hill,  of  Sandbach,  were  married  at  Alderley.  He  was  here  in  16S8,"  but  how  long  subse- 
quently is  not  certain.  A  Mr.  Nabbs  was  the  minister  in  1692,  but  from  1693  to  1697  Hugli 
Jennings  was  curate,  and  in  1697-8  a  Mr.  Brooked  Robert  Johnson  was  here  from  1699  to 
January  6,  1705-6,  when  he  was  buried  at  Goostrey.     In  1705  this  curate  stated  that  the  curac\- 

1  Mr.  Edge  afterwards  lived  at  Chelford,  and  was  buried  there  as  Thomas  Edge,  ^««/.,  24th  June,  167S.  His  widow  was 
buried  there  27th  Jan.  1685-6  as  Mary,  relict  of  Mr.  Thomas  Edge,  Minister.  Calamy  describes  him  as  "an  excellent 
preacher  .  .  .  his  sermons  were  close  and  methodical,  full  of  sound  argument  and  apt  similitudes,  and  delivered  with  much 
zeal  ....   Ife  was  useful  to  many  and  his  loss  was  much  lamented." 

'  This  Mr.  John  Worthington  must  not  be  confounded  with  Dr.  John  Worthington,  who  was  curate  of  Holmes  Chapel  in 
1666-7  (s^^  P-  I?')-     ^r.  John  Worthington  was  at  this  time  beneficed  in  London. 

^  "  1667.  Bur.  November  the  last  a  child  of  John  Yarwood  Minister."  Two  other  children,  Martha  and  Mary,  were 
baptized  22nd  Nov.  1668. 

'  "  1671.  John  the  son  of  John  Alcocke  minister  de  Goosetree  borne  November  the  15'''  and  Baptized  December  ye  5'^" 
Another  ion,  Joseph,  was  bapt.  4th  Nov.  1673  ;  other  children,  Mary,  bapt.  20th  March,  1675-6  ;  Martha,  bapt.  26th  April, 
1678;  Alice,  bapt.  Sth  April,  1680;  James,  bapt.  i6th  March,  16S1-2;  Sarah,  bapt.  Sth  May,  l(>&^\  Joseph,  buried  loth 
Sept.  1684.  Another  son,  ^^  Joseph  son  of  John  and  Mary  Alcock  late  Minister  of  Goostrey,"  was  baptized  at  Holmes 
Chapel,  15th  Aug.  1685,  and  was  buried  at  Goostrey,  13th  Dec.  16S9. 

"   "  168S.     Bapt.  James  son  to  M'  Hugh,  cleark,  at  Goostrey,  Nov,  29." 

'  Churchwardens'  Accounts. 


.-,8  SANDBACH. 


was  then  worth  ^5.  Ss.  per  annum,  and  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  chapelry  claimed  an  equal 
right  of  presentation  with  the  Vicar  of  Sandbach  {A''otitia  Parochia,  vol.  v.  p.  1080).  He  was 
succeeded  by  Conicliiis  Edi^'ards  in  1706,  who  in  1707  was  followed  by_/.  Han>.'a);  who  was 
here  till  1715."  From  1716  to  1718  WilUani  Webster  was  the  minister,^  and  from  1720  to 
1722  folin  Latham,  as  appears  by  the  Churchwardens'  Accounts.  From  1723  to  1733  Mr. 
Abraham  Blackshazu  was  the  Curate  of  Goostrey,  and  his  name  is  frequently  met  with  in  the 
Churchwardens'  Accounts,  but,  strange  to  say,  it  does  not  once  occur  in  the  Register. 

Subsequently  to  this  date  the  names  of  those  who  were  instituted  to  Goostrey  are  recorded 
in  the  Bishop's  Registry  at  Chester,  as  follows  : — 

I735-     Jul}'  30.     John    Hulse,   B.A.,  nominated   by  the   Rev.  Samuel   Allon,  \'icar  of  .Sand- 
bach,  on  the  death  of  the  last  incumbent  [?  Abraham  Blackshaw]. 

An  account  of  the  Rev.  John  Hulse,  who  is  celebrated  as  the  founder  of  the  Hulsean  Lectures,  &c., 
will  be  found  on  pages  92,  93.  Previous  to  coming  to  Goostrey  he  held  the  curacy  of  Voxall,  co.  Stafford. 
He  was  also,  I  believe,  curate  or  incumbent  of  Witton,  near  Northwich,  from  1739  to  1753,  and  it  is 
probable  that  he  held  this  together  with  Goostrey.  He  married  in  1733  Mary,  daughter  of  Edward  Hall, 
of  tb.e  Hermitage,  in  Cranage  township  (see  p.  216),  by  whom  he  had  an  only  son,  who  died  unmarried 
in  I  756,  aged  22. 

1754.    Sept.  16.     Sl.MON  JMlLLS,  M.A.,  nominated  b)-  the  Rev.  Hcnr_\-  Baldw)-n,  \'icar  of  Sand- 
bach.     [Cause  of  vacancy  not  stated.] 

He  matriculated  at  Oxford  from  Oriel  College,  on  the  ist  April,  1745,  aged  16,  son  of  William  Mills, 
Esq.  of  Leek,  co.  Stafford,  B.A.  11  Nov.  174S,  }iLA.  7  June,  1751.  His  first  wife  was  Elizabeth,  the  only 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Hugh  Mee,  \'icar  of  Sandbach,  to  whom  he  was  married  at  Sandbach  on  the  12th 
July,  1751.  He  became  Vicar  of  Leek  in  i75S,>"  and  died  on  the  iSth  June,  17S5,  at  Norbury,  co. 
Derbv,  where  he  was  rector.  There  are  some  notices  of  the  Mills  family  in  Mr  Sleigh's  History  of  Leek. 
For  his  second  wife  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  William  Furnivall,  of  Betchton,  gentleman  (see  that 
pedigree,  p.  151). 

1759.    March  14.    TllOM.A.'^  BURROUGHS,  B.A.,  nominated  by  the  Rev.  Henry  Baldwyn  on  the 
cession  of  Simon  Mills. 

M''  Burroughs  matriculated  at  Oxford  from  Brasenose  College  on  the  14  April,  1753,  aged  17,  the 
son  of  John  Burroughs,  of  Runcorn,  in  Cheshire,  B.A.  20  Oct.  1756,  'b.l.X.  30  June,  1759.  He  retained 
this  curacy  for  exactly  50  years,  holding  it,  together  with  the  rectory  of  Pulford,  till  his  death  on  the 
4th  .\pril,  1S09,  at  the  age  of  73.  There  are  no  entries  relating  to  him  in  the  Registers  beyond  the 
notice  of  his  burial  on  .\pril  7.     The  inscription  on  his  tombstone  will  be  found  on  p.  233. 

1809.     June  20.     JoilX  Armitstkad,  nominated  by  the  Rev.  R.  L.  Salmon,  Vicar  of  Sandbach, 

on  the  death  of  T.  Burroughs. 

M'  Armit^tead  was  the  son  of  Laurence  Armitstead,  of  Horton,  co.  York,  gentleman.  He  purchased 
lands  in  Cranage,  near  those  which  he  derived  from  his  first  wife  Catherine,  daughter  of  John  Fenton,  of 
Betley,  co.   Stafford,  Esq.     His  sons  were   Laurence  Armitstead,  of  Cranage,  Esq.   and  the   Rev.  John 

>^  "1714.     Bapt.  Mary  daughter  of  Mestor  Harwar  Minister  of  Goostrey,  Xov.  10." 

'  Mr.  I'iccope's  notes  from  the  Chester  Records. 

>■  There  are  a  few  references  to  Mr.  Mills  in  the  Chin-chwardens'  Accounts.  Thus  in  1755,  "  Spent  on  Mr.  Mills'  return 
fioni  Bath.  2s.:''  in  1756,  "  for  going  to  Davenhatn  and  We.averham  by  order  to  emiuire  after  a  new  Parson,  5^-;''  ^"'1  '"  '759 
"  ."^1  ent  on  Mr.  Mills  when  he  preached  his  farewell,  2s." 


THE    CHURCH    OF    GOOSTREY.  239 

Armitstead,  Vicar  of  Sandbach.     (See  the  Armitstead  pedigree,  p.   21S.)     He  was  buried  at  Goostrey  on 
the  27th  August,  1814,  aged  50.^ 

1814.     September  14.     ROBERT  LiTLER,  nominated  by  the  Rev.  R.  L.  Salmon  on  the  death  of 
John  Armitstead. 

This  incumbent  claimed  to  be  directly  descended  from  the  family  of  the  Litlers,  of  Wallerscote,  co. 
Chester,  of  whom  a  short  pedigree  ending  about  1600  is  given  in  Ormerod's  Cheshire.  He  married 
Elizabeth,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Mr.  William  Bellingham,  of  Knutsford,  surgeon,  who  predeceased  him, 
dying  on  the  nth  September,  1831.  He  died  at  Church  Lawton,  co.  Chester,  on  the  30th  March,  1832, 
and  was  there  buried.  His  two  sons,  Robert  and  Henry  William,  the  only  ones  who  survived  infancy, 
were  both  educated  at  the  Manchester  Grammar  School  (see  Manchester  Grammar  School  Register, 
Chetham  Society,  vol.  iii.  pp.  104  and  229,  from  whence  the  above  information  is  taken). 
1S33.     July  16.     RlCH.-\RD  Massie,  M.A.,  nominated   by  the   Rev.  John   Armitstead,  Vicar  of 

Sandbach,  on  the  death  of  Robert  Litler. 

Mr.  Massie  was  the  only  child  of  Thomas  Massie,  of  Coddington,  Esq.  the  representative  of  one  of 
the  oldest  Cheshire  families,  and  was  born  in  177 1.  He  was  educated  at  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge, 
B.A.  1794,  MA.  1835.  He  also  held  the  rectories  of  Aldford,  Eccleston  and  St.  Bridget's,  Chester,  and 
died  on  the  i6th  April,  1854,  aged  83.  By  his  wife  Hester,  eldest  daughter  of  Edward  Townshend,  of 
AVincham,  Esq.,  who  died  at  Pulford  Hall,  i  Oct.  1S73,  aged  98,  he  had  the  large  family  of  12  sons 
and  10  daughters. 
1S36.     Feb.  6.     William  Henry  Massie,  B.A.,  nominated  by  the  Rev.  John  Armitstead  on 

the  cession  of  Richard  Massie,  rector  of  Eccleston. 

He  was  the  fourth  son  of  the  above-named  Rev.  Richard  Massie,  and  was  born  at  Stanley  Place, 
Chester,  12  Nov.  1806,  and  baptised  at  Holy  Trinity,  Chester,  17  Oct.  1807.  After  being  for  some  years 
at  Macclesfield  Grammar  School,  he  was  on  Nov.  12,  1826,  appointed  to  the  39th  Bengal  Native  Infantry. 
He  returned  from  India  in  1830  owing  to  ill-health,  and  determined  to  enter  the  Church  ;  and  after 
matriculating  at  Dublin  University  was  ordained  in  1834,  and  shortly  afterwards  appointed  to  Goostrey." 
Here  he  was  instrumental  in  building  the  church  of  Byley-cum-Lees,  in  an  out-of-the-way  part  of  this 
neighbourhood,  three  miles  from  Middlewich.  He  laboured  hard  to  raise  the  necessary  money,  and  himself 
designed  the  building,  which  was  consecrated  Oct.  14,  1847.  Shortly  afterwards  he  was  presented  to  the 
church  of  St.  Mary-on  the-Hill,  Chester,  and  was  soon  after  appointed  a  Minor  Canon  of  the  Cathedral. 
Here  he  remained  till  his  death  on  Jan.  5,  1856,  aged  49.  He  was  buried  in  the  Chester  cemetery, 
where,  in  the  inscription  to  his  memory,  his  13  years  incumbency  at  Goostrey  is  duly  recorded.'' 
Mr.  Massie,  in  addition  to  being  a  zealous  and  conscientious  clergyman,  was  a  painstaking  and  trust- 
worthy antiquary.  He  was  virtually  the  founder  of  the  Chester  Archaeological  and  Historic  Society, 
and  contributed  several  valuable  papers  to  \\.i /oiiniai. 

1848.   August  I.   William  Edward  Dickson,  B.A. ,  nominated  by  the  Rev.  John  Armitstead, 

on  the  cession  of  W.  H.  Massie. 

Mr.  Dickson,  who  was  educated  at  Corpus  Christi  College,  Cambridge,  B.A.  1S46,  INI. A.  1851,  is  now- 
Minor  Canon,  Precentor,  and  Sacristan  of  Ely  Cathedral,  where  he  went  in  1858. 

'  The  Macclesfield  Courier  of  Feb.  4,  1815,  has  the  following  paragraph: — "On  Saturday  last  Goostrey  Church  was  robbed 
of  a  quantity  of  black  broad  cloth  of  the  value  of  ;^30,  with  which  the  church  was  hung  on  account  of  the  death  of  the  late 
Rev.  Mr.  Armitstead." 

•  Mr.  Massie  appears  to  have  come  to  Goostrey  in  1834  as  locitm  tenens  for  his  father,  who  did  not  resign  this  living  till 
1836.  It  is  said  that  when  he  arrived  at  Goostrey  he  found  his  parishioners  burning  him  in  effigy,  as  they  were  disa[)poinled 
that  the  living  had  not  been  given  to  some  one  else,  whom  they  thought  had  a  claim  to  it. 

''  The  above  is  abridged  from  a  veiy  interesting  and  full  memoir  of  his  life,  which  appeared  in  \\\i  Journal  of  t)ic  Clicster 
ArchiCeetural  and  drchiiolo^ieal  Society,  1S57. 


240  SANDBACH. 


1S59.    Ma\-  27.  John  Richard  Armitstead,  M.A.,  nominated  by  the  Rev.  John  Armitstead, 
on  the  resignation  of  W.  E.  Dickson. 

The  eldest  son  of  the  late  Rev.  John  Armitstead,  Vicar  of  Sandbach,  where  he  succeeded  his  father 
in  1S65  (see  p.  54). 

18G0.    Oct.  20.     William  George  Armitstead,  '^l.A.  {the  prcsciit  f-Vfr?;-),  nominated  by  the 

Rc\'.  John  Armitstead  on  the  resignation  of  J.  R.  Armitstead. 

The  second  son  of  the  late  Rev.  John  Armitstead,  Vicar  of  Sandbach  from  182S  to  1S65.  He  was 
educated  at  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  B.A.  1857,  M.A.  1865.  He  married  Mary,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  W. 
Curric,  of  Houghton  Hall,  Chester,  who  died  in  1S6S.  He  did  not  come  to  reside  at  Goostrey  till 
Januar}'  1862. 

The  li\ing  of  Goostrey  has  al\va\-s  been  a  very  small  one,  being  returned  in  1720  as  then 
onl\-  worth  £  10.  los.  per  annum,  made  up  as  follows  : — Given  by  the  Vicar  of  Sandbach  £2.  los. 
and  the  interest  of  ^160,  of  which  /^lOO  was  given  by  Mr.  Richard  Welles,  i^20  by  Henry 
Haslehurst,  and  £\0  a  stock  given  by